Se Colorado News

PUEBLO—The City of Pueblo Parks and Recreation Department is requesting proposals from artists or artist teams to design and paint murals on four popular outdoor basketball courts located at the Elizabeth Street Parkway, better known as the “Slabs.”

“Pueblo Parks and Recreation is excited to announce a call for artists to help update and revitalize the “slabs” which are such a well-loved and popular place in our city,” said Assistant Director of Pueblo Parks and Recreation Mike Sexton.

The murals will be painted on four, soon-to-be resurfaced courts that are approximately 2,600 square feet each. During the paint process a specific application process with squeegees and edging tape will be used according to the sports court surfacing industry standards. This standard practice will ensure the murals maintain a high quality for many years to come and the artist’s artwork remains.

Applications for the project are accepted through Thursday, August 3 until 5:00 p.m. Four selected designs will be compensated $2,500 per court for artists or artist teams participating in the Slabs project. Designs selected will receive stakeholder input before finalized and the painting of the courts is anticipated for fall 2023 or spring 2024.

All special court paint and installation materials such as squeegees, buckets, tape, etc. will be provided for the application of the artwork on the murals. Artists and artist teams will be required to work under the direction of the court resurfacing contractor on the Elizabeth Street Parkway or “Slabs” basketball court renovation project team.

“We know we have a talented local artist consortium and encourage individuals or teams to apply with their unique designs which will have a lasting impact in the Elizabeth Street Parkway neighborhood,” said Sexton.

Artists and artist teams are invited to submit up to four example of art that are relevant to this project with each image as a separate .jpg or .png file. Each image should be no large than 600 KB, submitting an image list as a separate .docx or .pdf file and file name, media and dimensions must be included in the submission. In addition to the artwork, artist or artist teams must include an art resume no more than two pages, single sided, providing description of relevant projects.

An important note for artists to remember, the court lines such as boundary lines, free throw lanes, three-point arc and half court line will be appointed over each mural by a court resurfacing contractor. These boundaries and lines should remain in consideration for the artwork submitted with each mural design. No logos, religious depictions or trademark designs may be included in the design. All proposals must be original to the artis or artist team submitting the mural artwork.

Eligibility requirements include that artists or artist team must reside within Pueblo County. A total of four proposals will be selected by a selection team made up of area residents, representative from the Pueblo Art Alliance and Pueblo Parks and Recreation Department.

To submit a mural design example of artwork for this project can be sent to Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Mike Sexton at msexton@pueblo.us. For questions or more information, call 719-553-2804.

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