PAINT THE CITY - Kingston Creative

OPEN CALL

PAINT THE CITY IV

“One Downtown”

Celebrating the unity and togetherness of Jamaican culture and community

Theme

‘One Downtown’ has been used in recent times to define the unity of the Downtown Kingston communities and is the theme for the fourth instalment of the Paint The City mural project. The project is using the visual arts in the form of murals as a catalyst to promote unity and togetherness of the many different cultural influences that developed the Jamaican experience.

One Downtown is an inspiring movement dedicated to reshaping the way we perceive Downtown Kingston and encourages unity of mind, thought and vision among Downtown Kingston communities. The communities of Downtown have been divided socially with crime being a major factor, closing the doors to potential individual and economic growth.

The One Downtown movement seeks to find a common thread of bringing together the people living and working in Downtown around a common vision of Downtown that is revitalized, safe and a vibrant place to live, work and raise families..

Jamaica is home to an abundance of artistic talent and creative expressions, that developed Jamaican distinctive artistic expressions. The concept is to develop a new series of murals that cater to the theme ‘One Downtown’, displaying a sense of unity and togetherness of Jamaicans and our diverse culture.

Background

Kingston Creative is a registered non-profit organisation founded in February 2017. Its mission is to enable Caribbean creatives to succeed so that they can create economic and social value, gain access to global markets and have a positive impact on their communities.

In November 2018 Kingston Creative launched a project called Paint the City developed murals in Water Lane, Downtown Kingston, and in the surrounding communities, with the ultimate vision of declaring the old city an Art District and Creative Hub in furtherance of the 2015 UNESCO Creative City of Music designation. To date over 88 murals have been created, several with Augmented Reality (AR) functionality.

The goal is to create a central pedestrianised walkway with public art connecting Jamaica’s national cultural anchor institutions; the Institute of Jamaica and the National Gallery of Jamaica.

Phase IV of the Paint the City project will cover the section of Water Lane between King and Orange Street and will be implemented from November2023 – February 2024.

Artistic designs and concepts

In this phase of Paint the City, Kingston Creative is looking for designs that showcase the unity and diversity in our culture and communities, with focus on Downtown Kingston, while expressing the authenticity, history and backgrounds.

Artists are encouraged to engage in some research into our creative and cultural landscape to help inform their designs, in particular historic and current persons, leaders and events that promote peace and unity. The aspects of influences from the Chinese and Indian population in the Downtown landscape can be included.

Phase IV offers 16 walls for 16 artist designs and teams to execute the murals.

Tagline: “One Downtown”

Hashtag: #OneDowntown #Waterlane #PaintTheCity

Location: Water Lane, Downtown Kingston, between King Street and Orange Street.

Timeline Breakdown:

Execution of murals: November 27, 2023 to December 30, 2023

Submission Deadline: Sunday November 12, 2023

Announcement of Selection: November 17, 2023

Artist briefing and site visit: November 20, 2023

Finalisation of design: November 24, 2023

Artist Fee:

JMD $1100 per square foot. The total fee amount per artist team varies depending on the size of the walls.

Additional Support:

Paint, other materials, scaffolding, tools and equipment are provided. Lunch will be available for the teams.

Artist Submission:

All Artists will be notified of the outcome of their submission.

This may mean that the selected designs may need to be adjusted to fit the proportion and size of the final location.

Once the selections have been made, the committee will pair walls with the most suitable and impactful designs.

Submissions will be reviewed and selections made by an external and independent committee.

To apply, each artist may submit Two(2) concept designs

Selection Committee: A selection committee of competent and experienced industry experts and visual artists will manage the selection to ensure transparency.

To apply, complete the submission form at bit.ly/Paintthecity

For questions, email The Art District Project Manager at [email protected]

Application Criteria:

● Artists must be legally resident in Jamaica at the time of mural execution

● Artists must be available for the full duration of the project.

● Artists must be 18 years or older at the time of application

● Artists must possess a local bank account to facilitate payment

How to Apply

To apply, please send us your mural design proposal which should include:

● Artist biography (no more than 150 words), including social media handles, website etc.

● Artist portfolio consisting of 3-5 images of similar work

● Proposed mural design(s) (in colour, showing the intended painting style.

● Submissions may be digital as long as they depict an accurate representation of the final painted mural

● Design statement (outlining the design intent and meaning of the concept)

● Documents submitted should be in the format of .pdf or .jpeg

Terms and Conditions

1. We agree to thoughtfully review any and all concept submissions to the Kingston Creative Paint The City IV Open Call.

2. We agree that every artist’s work(s) will be carefully considered based on the fully completed required application form as well as the principle criteria; including but not limited to, technique, originality, use of media, skill, composition and presentation upon submission.

3. The Artist understands that submission of art work does not guarantee that the concept submitted will be accepted. The Artist understands that any incomplete submission is subject to be rejected by the selection committee.

4. The Artist understands that any submission that does not follow the criteria or violates the specifications set forth for the open call is subject to be rejected by the selection committee.

5. Any concept selected by the selection committee will be notified at the end of the judging period.

The following types of submissions are prohibited and will not be considered for the mural/s:

• Abusive, threatening, obscene, defamatory, and otherwise offensive statements/material (this includes but is not limited to political or religious statements or beliefs, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other theme that is designed to “target” any person, place, thing or idea negatively)

• Promotion of illegal activities

• Explicitly lewd or sexual material, pornography, violent acts

• Misrepresentation/false or misleading information

• Material that contains software viruses, files or programs designed to interrupt, damage, destroy or limit functionality

Intellectual Property:

The Artist who creates murals, sketches documents, presentations, reports, physical and/or electronic. The Artist shall retain all moral rights to the artwork in perpetuity. Copyright will belong to the commissioning organisation, Kingston Creative.

Paint the City IV