Peter Schumann’s “Handout #27: A Bad Bedsheet,” hangs on the wall of the Rabble Rouser building on Main Street, is one of several large artworks installed by the Montpelier Public Art Commission in 2021. The commission is seeking proposals for a mural to be done this year on the side of the Shaw’s building. Photo by Tom McKone.
The Montpelier Public Art Commission has announced a national search for an artist or artist team to create a mural on the side of Shaw’s supermarket on Main Street. The project represents a collaboration with the Commission, Montpelier Alive, Pomerleau Real Estate, and Shaw’s supermarkets. The wall, located beside the bike path and highly visible from Main Street, is one of the largest and most prominent downtown locations for a mural. The work should be completed by early August, and the winning submission could receive up to $19,000.
The submission deadline is Feb. 18. On March 7, up to three finalists will be awarded $500 to prepare a final design. By May 9, a selected artist or artist team will be announced. The chosen artist may receive up to $18,500 to finish the mural before Aug. 8.
The mural is part of the Public Art Commission’s implementation of the city’s Public Art Master Plan, which emphasizes Montpelier’s artistic identity. As part of that, the commission led the installation of several large outdoor artworks last year. Those included murals or mural-like panels on the back of the Montpelier Recreation Center on Barre Street (visible across the Winooski River from Berlin Street); the side of Shippee Family Eye Care on Main Street; the side of the building that houses Rabble-Rouser on Main Street; and above the North Branch of the Winooski River on the building that houses the North Branch Café on State Street.
For more information about the grant and to review the request for qualifications, go to montpelier-vt.org/1080/Public-Art-Commission.
For additional questions or to arrange an interview, please contact Ward Joyce at montpelierartsvt@gmail.com or (802) 522-0150.
Kristine Chartrand’s “Defying the Odds,” above the Winooski River on the North Branch Café building on State Street, is one of several large artworks installed by the Montpelier Public Art Commission in 2021. The commission is seeking proposals for a mural to be done this year the side of the Shaw’s building. Photo by Tom McKone.
