The concept of community engagement is central to Sprout’s vision for site-specific public art. Communities apply and are selected by Sprout Public Art to participate in the program. Artists are qualified into the program by a diverse group of local artists, educators and other community stakeholders and then placed in competition for the selected community sites. Artists that are chosen by the communities are paid competitive artist fees determined by the size of the project. All supplies, materials and design and artist fees are provided by Sprout Public Art and murals are provided at no financial cost to participating communities.

The application deadline for the 2010 season of Sprout Public Art is 5pm on Thursday, April 1, 2010.

Artist Applications

Artist eligibility: Any artist residing in the 14-county Pittsburgh/Western Pennsylvania region of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland counties that has met all criteria and delivered a complete application to the Sprout office no later than 5 pm on Thursday, April 1, 2010 is eligible to be considered to participate in the Sprout Public Art program. Artists with at least a minimum level of experience in working in large scale are strongly preferred.

Note: Artists that completed murals in both the 2008 and 2009 seasons of Sprout Public Art are not eligible to participate in the 2010 program, but may re-apply the following year.

• The selection process for artists includes the review of 5 to 10 digital images or slides, a written application and onsite interview.
• A group of local artists, critics, educators and other community stakeholders selects a pool of artists to participate in each year’s program. Artists are reviewed by the group on the basis of artistic merit and ability to create public art.
• Once juried into the program, artists’ experience, available working hours and location preferences are discussed in an interview with Sprout staff to assist in placing each artist in competition for a particular community.
• Artists who are juried into the program, but who might be less experienced and/or do not match criteria of communities in the program, could be selected to work as paid artist assistants.

Interested artists can learn more with the artist application.

Community Applications

Community applicant eligibility: Any organization with a physical presence within the community of the proposed site or an individual who is a resident of that community that has met all criteria and delivered a complete application to the Sprout office no later than 5 pm on Thursday, April 1, 2010 is eligible to be considered to participate in the Sprout Public Art program.

Community site eligibility: The proposed public art site must be within Allegheny County. The surface of the proposed wall should be as smooth as possible and devoid of any peeling paint, cracks or leaks. Please contact Sprout if you have any questions regarding wall condition. Proposed sites must be as permanent as possible. Sites that are currently for sale, will be for sale soon, or have plans for renovations that will affect the visibility of the proposed mural may not be eligible for consideration. Moreover, applicants should contact adjacent property owners to assess any plans on their part that may effect or cause a visual disturbance to the proposed surface. Any concerns regarding the permanence of the site and/or potentials for disturbance must be communicated to Sprout staff prior to submitting an application.

Community selection strategy: Community selection is based on criteria such as meeting strategic goals, public accessibility, visibility and potential for impact in the community. Communities are selected by the Sprout Public Art Advisory Committee. To enhance its effectiveness and provide opportunities for all communities of the Pittsburgh region to create public art, The Sprout Fund has committed to a long-term strategy of coverage, concentrations and corridors to inform community selection decisions. Coverage is the widespread placement of art across the region and reflects an organizational focus on locating new works in communities where none currently exist. Concentrations are communities that have a large number of existing Sprout murals and have the potential to grow with subsequent public artworks. Corridors are major traffic arteries that run through and connect many neighborhoods, with the potential for many new art along its route.

Interested community members and groups can learn more with the community application.