For the 10th year, Denver Arts and Venues is prepared to pay artists $1,000 to $8,000 through the Urban Arts Fund to paint a mural in Denver.
Applications are now open to individual artists and artist teams with a vision for public art.
The selection process will give preference to "projects incorporating a strong community and youth engagement component," according to the release, and to proposals for murals in neighborhoods and City Council districts with few or no Urban Arts Fund murals. First-time applicants will also have an edge, and Arts and Venues is encouraging artists from "typically under-represented communities" to apply.
In addition to funding public art, the program is meant to deter graffiti. It was founded for that purpose in 2009 and has since helped created nearly 250 murals in Denver — though it's not always effective in stopping graffiti.
“Denver’s UAF mural program has grown rapidly from when it first started 10 years ago. Our first year, we funded nine murals to help deter graffiti in some of Denver’s ‘graffiti hot spots.’ Last year, we funded more than 80 murals,” Mary Valdez, Denver Public Art Administrator, said in a statement. “The UAF has become an incredible program, drawing attention and talent not only from Denver, but also on a national and international scale.”
Applications are due by 5 p.m. March 19 and selected artists will be notified in April.
To learn more about past murals facilitated by the Urban Arts Fund, go to artsandvenuesdenver.com or poke around this map:
