Stratford Downtown Mural Call for Artists

The Stratford Downtown BIA has put out a call for artists to help beautify the downtown while celebrating the city's musical legacy in Ontario, Canada. The organization is seeking an artist for a mural installation on the east-facing wall of 118 Ontario Street, celebrating the music and musicians of Stratford through both the art itself and an accompanying downloadable playlist. Stratford's musical connections range from Justin Bieber to Ron Sexsmith.

The selected artist will be paid 8,500 dollars for the work, while the project itself has a separate budget for material costs, equipment rentals and insurance. To qualify, an applicant must have a strong connection to Stratford and a minimum of one to two years of mural production experience using exterior paint and aerosol. The artist must also have experience working at heights and certification to do so, or be willing to take a course in advance of production. Artists who identify as Indigenous, Black, people of colour or members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community, as well as people with disabilities, are strongly encouraged to apply. A Stratford-based artist is preferred, though not strictly required.

The application has two stages. The first stage is an expression of interest including a minimum of five and maximum of 10 images of past works, a letter of intent of up to two pages describing artistic practice, experience and interest in the project, and an artist resume of up to two pages. A shortlist of as many as three artists will be selected for the second stage, each receiving 650 dollars to develop a detailed proposal in collaboration with the BIA. The application closes June 30 at 5 p.m., with production aimed to finish by the end of September.