Gray St Walls RFQ
Request for Qualifications - Public Art Murals - Gray Street Barrier Walls
RFQ Deadline: December 4, 2026 @ 11:59pm CST
Norman Arts Council is seeking six muralists (or teams of muralists) to create a work of art for downtown Norman, Oklahoma.
Located along Gray Street, between Peters and Crawford are three large barrier walls. These walls have a mural previously painted facing Gray St. The interior section along the alleyway offers an opportunity to beautify and improve the area. The NAC is seeking artists to create murals along the wall space.
Norman is a growing, progressive city located 20 miles south of downtown Oklahoma City and is the third-largest city in Oklahoma. The land that encompasses Norman was historically the home of many Native Tribes. The Caddo, Osage, Quapaw, and Wichita Tribal Nations are all native to the land that is now Oklahoma. By the early 1800s, the Pawnee, Kiowa, Comanche, Cheyenne, and Arapaho had also migrated into the region or visited to use resources. Some Delaware, Shawnee, Kickapoo, Chickasaw, and Choctaw regularly came to hunt Oklahoma’s abundant bison, beaver, deer, and bear. In the early 1800s, the US assumed control of the area and this became “Indian Territory.” During the Indian Removal Act, many tribes from the eastern US, were forcibly moved to what is now Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska.
The City of Norman was founded in 1889 and the University of Oklahoma followed shortly thereafter in 1890. During WWII, the land that runs along Flood Avenue was a US Navel Base. The University now owns the land, and it is an airport. Approximately 41 trains pass through Norman daily. The tracks are also used by Amtrak which runs through Norman with a stop twice daily.
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The murals will be on the barrier walls in a parking lot. There are three barrier walls which will be divided in half to create a total of six murals. Muralists (or team) will be assigned one panel. Each panel will be approx. 22.5’ x 14’.
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The total artist's fee for the project is $7,875 for their completed panel. This amount must cover all associated costs including design, materials, fabrication, lighting, travel, insurance coverage, shipping, and installation.
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The murals will be allocated to a mix of artists from the Norman/OKC Metro area and the United States area.
Artists identifying with an ethnic, cultural, sexual, gender, economic, or ability minority are encouraged to apply.
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RFQ Deadline: December 4, 2026 @ 11:59pm MST
The following dates are approximate and subject to change:
Notify 8 finalists: The week of December 14, 2026
Finalist Sketches due: February 19, 2027
Final Artists Selected: The week of March 1, 2027
Installation: 3rd and 4th week of April 2027
Dedication: TBD
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All applications must be submitted via Submittable
Submissions for this project must contain the following materials:
A one-page maximum typed letter of interest outlining your qualifications for and interest in the project, as well as the general idea for your approach. Please consider the following questions when developing your letter of interest:
Why do you want to work on this project?
How does this project relate to your current work?
Resume/CV
Artist Bio/Statement
Three references with whom you have worked on a public art project, including current telephone number and email address.
3-5 high-resolution images of previous work you feel would support your ability to carry out this project. Include all pertinent information: title, medium, size, date of completion, location, and project details (i.e. Budget commissioning agency, etc., if public art).
DO NOT create a design proposal as part of your application. Proposals will be requested as part of the next step in the process if you are selected. We believe artists should be paid for their work.
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Selection for this project will be made by a panel including stakeholders, design professionals, City representatives, a member of the Norman Public Art committee, a member of the Norman Arts Council Board, and members of the arts community.
Finalists will be notified and then have six weeks to submit a rendering of the artwork they wish to paint on the wall.
Mural submissions will not consider art proposals that contain lude language, graphic content, sex, or politics.
8 artists will be selected from the applicants and then narrowed down to 6 finalists for installation. Artists will be assigned one panel section.
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The Selection Panel will review all applicants who respond to this RFQ. Please do not submit design proposals in your application, only include your portfolio.
Eight muralists will be selected to produce renderings. Each artist (or team) will be paid $350 for their designs.
The Selection Panel will meet and narrow the artists down to six. Six muralists will be invited to participate.
The Selection Panel will select a mix of artist from across the US but have a minimum of three from the Norman and OKC metro area for the project.
Commissioning of artists is implemented without preference to racial or ethnic origins, sex, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disability, or age, and all are encouraged to apply.
The Norman Arts Council and the City of Norman reserve the right to modify this solicitation and to request additional information or proposals from any or all participating artists. The Norman Arts Council also reserves the right to accept or reject, at any time prior to the commissioning of a work, any or all proposals when the acceptance, rejection, waiver or advertisement would be in the best interest of the project. In addition, they may solicit proposals from artists not responding to this call and reserve the right to select an artist outside of the pool of artists responding to this call.
If you have any questions, email Leslie Nottingham, Norman Arts Council Executive Director, at leslie@normanarts.org
