Chick Corea Mural Public Art Commission
Chelsea seeks artists to design a 50x13 ft mural honoring jazz legend Chick Corea under Tobin Bridge. $12,000 award.
The City of Chelsea is inviting artists and artist teams to submit proposals for a new public mural beneath the Tobin Bridge on Everett Avenue as part of the New England Foundation for the Arts' 2025 Making It Public Program. The project, titled "Keys to Chelsea," will honor world-renowned jazz pianist and composer Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea, a Chelsea native, and will advance the city's efforts to revitalize underused public spaces through public art.
The mural will be installed on a 50-foot-wide by 13-foot-high retaining wall under the Tobin Bridge on Everett Avenue, between Chestnut Street and Walnut Street. This highly visible location experiences heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic and serves as a key entry point to the city. The site is especially significant as Chick Corea grew up in a home that once stood adjacent to the mural location, making this project both a tribute and a homecoming.
Artists are encouraged to interpret Chick Corea's legacy through themes of innovation, excellence, cultural pride, and creativity, while reflecting Chelsea's diverse, immigrant, and working-class identity. Designs may be abstract or symbolic; a literal portrait is not required. Corea was born in Chelsea in 1941 and became a member of Miles Davis' band in the late 1960s before forming the jazz fusion band Return to Forever. He was nominated for 79 Grammy Awards, winning 29 times.
The selected artist or artist team will receive a $12,000 award, inclusive of all project costs including artist fees, materials, insurance, travel, and installation. Final design and installation are subject to MassDOT review and approval, and the selected artist will enter into a grant agreement with the City of Chelsea.