Call for Mural Artists

ABOUT THE PROJECT

This celebration of history & place through art in Downtown Foley will be scattered around the alley behind the Hotel Magnolia and Yabba’s Wacky Snack Shack. We have named the project Cat Alley in honor of John McClure Snook and his love for cats. All artworks will contain a cat hidden in the art.

John McClure Snook was a southern gentleman, community service-oriented leader and a visionary. John McClure Snook also had a love for cats. At the Hotel Magnolia, there were cat doors for the cats to come and go as they please. Mr. Snook’s love for cats extended into his businesses where cats were free to roam in certain areas and he even had a house downtown that was just for the cats!

When he owned the Hotel Magnolia and the Gulf Telephone Company, Mr. Snook built an underground tunnel between the two buildings to keep the rain off - this tunnel goes right under our Cat Alley. The tunnel was also built for another reason: part of the GulfTel building was built as a civil defense shelter and the tunnel was part of that.

He was ahead of his time with women’s liberation, he trained his female employees to defend themselves as well as their home during the Cold War and they were also trained in the jobs that the men did at GulfTel. John Snook became known worldwide for his “Nylon Army”. He even allowed his women sharpshooters to shoot cigarillos that he held between his lips for publicity stunts.

We have many cats in Foley and we like to think they are the many descendants of John Snook’s cats.  It seemed only fitting to name the alley between the Hotel Magnolia and one of the buildings he used to house GulfTel – Cat Alley.

 

 Cat Alley will be made up of six anchor components completed in three phases: one approximate 30’ Panel Mural by commissioned professional working with students;  Four Door Murals by commissioned professional artists;  12’ Mural by commissioned professional artist; Small Pocket Park entrance to Cat Alley; Alston Entrance beautification walkway; and a Historic Walk Mural by professional commissioned artist. Initial sponsors are the City of Foley, Riviera Utilities, Main Street Alabama, and the Foley Art Center.

Sponsorship opportunities are available.

 

FIRST PROJECT

Foley Main Street, in partnership with the Foley Art Center, is seeking an experienced artist to create a collaborative mural that represents Foley for Foley Main Street’s Cat Alley project. Foley Main Street may work with an artist to finalize any design concept and may alter materials and colors if deemed necessary for historical purposes, durability and longevity. This mural will be designed by the artist, and sketched out on seven panels. Three of the panels will be painted by middle school and high school students. The schools have already been contacted and are eager to be part of the process. The other four panels will be painted by the artist.  The artist will supply the exact paints and brushes to be used to the schools and coordinated with the schools for their completion of the panels. The artist will then collect the panels,  assemble the panels on the wall, then use an overlay design to blend the seven panels and door into one cohesive unit.

The other projects will have separate calls for artists.

SIZE

8 ft high X @ 30 ft long. Seven  4’ X 8’ marine grade plywood panels plus a door in the middle of the mural space that will need to be incorporated into the design.

SURFACE

The panels will be constructed, coated with a white latex paint, ready to paint on and will have the hardware ready to mount to the historic brick wall following Foley Historic District Guidelines.

MATERIALS

Must use high-quality acrylic mural paint

Must seal and cover with anti-graffiti coating

Applicant will supply all needed paint, brushes and items needed to complete this project.

EQUIPMENT

Applicant will need to work with the company who builds the panels to install the panels  

THEME

The theme of this mural should highlight recreation, reflecting Foley and Historic Downtown Foley. Possible ideas include trains, hot air balloons, bicycling, the Holmes medical museum, rose trail, kayaking, disc frisbee, OWA rollercoaster, pitcher bog, etc. These are ideas to spark creative ideas – not all or any need to be included.

A brief statement explaining the artwork and how it is relative to Downtown Foley

No mural or street art shall contain advertisement for any business or individual and may not contain any licensed, copyrighted, or trademarked characters or likenesses without permission from the holder or owner of the license, copyright, or trademark.

All artworks must be all ages appropriate and family friendly.  

NOTE: there must be one cat hidden in the mural (such as where’s waldo) for people to search for.

NOTE: there cannot be any wording in the mural. 

TIMELINE

October 17, 2022 to November 30, 2022    REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Marketing to the public. Questions answered. Submissions accepted until November 30

December 2022 – Proposals Reviewed Artist Selected Artist Announced

January 2023 – February 2023  Mural Production must be completed by March 1, 2023

INSURANCE

Applicant is required to have liability insurance 

CHANGES

Foley Main Street may work with an artist to finalize any design concept and may alter materials and colors if deemed necessary for historical purposes, durability and longevity. 

ARTIST INFORMATION

Applicants should submit a biography with the following information: name, address, phone, email, qualifications, experience, photos of past projects, and anything else that they would like considered.

ARTIST CONCEPT

Applicants should submit one or more concepts for consideration. This can be a drawing, painting, graphic design or other medium.  Artists will be chosen based on design concepts, qualifications, and experience.

BUDGET

Applicant should submit a budget with the following information:

Cost of paint, supplies, time with the students and labor.

Budget is a factor that should be taken into consideration when submitting a proposal 

OWNERSHIP  

The chosen design becomes the property of Foley Main Street. The artist can have rights to publish copies of the artwork as part of their portfolio, and other uses can be considered. 

WARRANTY

Applicant must provide a warranty for their work for 5 years and include details in the proposal.

CONTACT

Submit questions and proposals to [email protected]

Please provide all requested information by email in a single digital PDF file