Call for Artists: NF Murals @ Main Street & Depot Avenue

The Niagara Falls National Heritage Area is seeking five artists to paint murals on Main Street and Depot Avenue in Niagara Falls, NY. The NF Murals Project on Main Street & Depot Avenue is entering its fourth and final mural making phase following completion of sixteen murals to date since 2019. Murals feature stories of freedom and champions of change in the Highland Community of Niagara Falls. The Main Street & Depot Avenue corridor is adjacent to the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center. More information on the current murals can be found on our NF Murals website, nfmurals.org.

The Niagara Falls National Heritage Area’s NF Murals Project unites artists with the community in a collaborative process, rooted in historical and contemporary themes, that will transform our public spaces and inspire our local citizens.

Through our work, we take a creative approach to projects with the objective to foster pride of place and support for our community. We believe that art creates change, transforming public spaces and individual lives by improving the neighborhoods we live and work in, and by convening messages of hope, empathy, compassion, and social justice. The murals continue to encourage visitors to extend their stay in the City of Niagara Falls and assist in the long-term revitalization efforts of the Highland Community of Niagara Falls. 

Mural Project Background

Here in the Highland Community, many people are the most recent in a long line of Black residents whose presence in Niagara Falls made it one of the most important places of courage and resistance to oppression in the United States from the time of the Underground Railroad to today. These stories of heroism are documented and told at the adjacent Underground Railroad Heritage Center. The NF Murals Project will continue to share these stories and others as it relates to theme of freedom, and specifically what freedom means to the residents of Niagara Falls.

Project Specifications

• Any artist residing in Western New York or Southern Ontario are eligible to submit their qualifications for consideration. Experience with public art and/or large murals is preferred but not required.
• Upon selection, artists will be given a stipend for the project and all necessary materials will be provided by the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area. Artists may specify materials needed for their work.
• Each mural may range from in size and will be executed on a prepped and primed concrete wall surface along Main Street and Depot Avenue.

Artist Responsibilities

• Each selected artist will design and complete a mural which is responsive to community input.
• Artists will work with the project team to develop the concept of the mural.
• Artists may be asked to participate in public programming around the mural making process.

We believe that public art fosters pride in neighborhoods, tackles blight, and builds appreciation for our history and heritage.

Timeline

• To be considered, artists are required to complete the application below and submit all necessary materials by Sunday, August 20, 2023.
• Qualifications will be reviewed by the selection committee and applicants will be notified by August 28, 2023.
• Selected artists will be required to schedule and complete their mural between September 4, 2023 – October 13, 2023. 

Submission Requirements

• Artists must submit their materials and answer the application questions via Google Form.
• https://forms.gle/UBbW2wieLwvUd6Cr5
• A complete application must include typed and submitted responses to all the questions included in the Google Form, most current resume, 5-10 images of artwork and portfolio link if applicable.
• For any issues with using the Google Form, please contact Ally Spongr, ally@discoverniagara.org.
  

Group gathers at the murals on Main Street at the Meet the Artists event in August 2019. Murals by Edreys Wajed (left) and Muhammad Zaman (right). © 2019 Alana Adetola Arts Photography.

We believe that public art fosters pride in neighborhoods, tackles blight, and builds appreciation for our history and heritage.