RFQ: El Bloque de Oro (The Golden Block): Fall 2024 - Spring 2025

Introduction: 

Mural Arts’ Color Me Back (CMB) program is seeking artists to apply for a project to take place over the Fall ‘24 - Spring ‘25 (October 2024 - April 2025).

The goal of this project is to engage the CMB program, HACE and the surrounding community in a series of artistic enhancements for the North 5th Street business corridor between Lehigh and Somerset Avenue. This corridor, known as El Bloque de Oro (the Golden Block) is a vital hub for Philadelphia’s Latino community. Mural Arts will select a lead artist to partner with 6+ businesses (TBD) along the block and design enhancements for their storefronts. The artist may use paint, custom signage, mosaic, and other methods to activate the business storefronts. This project will help El Bloque de Oro shine as a welcoming, safe, and vibrant anchor for the wider community.

As part of the application, artists should write a short statement of no more than 500 words about their interest in this project. While applicants are welcome to use this section to suggest possible projects, it is not required and a proposal will be requested of artists who are selected for Phase II of the application process (see below of details).  Applicants are encouraged to discuss why this project is of interest to them, and how it may fit with their work.

The project will take place for 6-7 months and will be based out of the Kensington Storefront Color Me Back Studio with the opportunity to work on site at the businesses as weather permits.
 

Background (full project description):

Since April of 2019, Mural Arts’ same day work and pay program, Color Me Back (CMB) has completed 13 large mural projects between both our Kensington Storefront and Suburban Station locations. The program is currently seeking artists to apply for this seven-month project with the Color Me Back (CMB) program for the Fall of 2024 through to Spring of 2025. 

The goal of this project is to engage the CMB program and HACE in the creation of a new public art project in the North 5th Street business district while also beautifying El Bloque de Oro. The artist's responsibilities will be to work with HACE,  and the North 5th Street Business District to develop and facilitate a series of engagements with business and community members in the area that are geared towards gathering content to inform the concept and design of this series of public art. 

The artist will design the project and prepare a presentation for the Mural Arts Design Review team including representatives from the businesses. Details about what to include in the presentation will be provided by the program manager.

Once designs are approved by the business owners, the artist will work with CMB program participants to execute the storefront enhancements. This will provide opportunity and relief to those in the immediate area. It will provide locals dealing with wage insecurity an opportunity to connect with the businesses in the community, learn valuable skills, and contribute to the beautification of the neighborhood through working with the CMB program. The artist will work directly with the CMB program participants and staff to produce and install the project. Interested applicants should be secure about working with participants who are experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, mental health challenges and substance use challenges as well as working with individuals with limited art-making experience. Mural Arts and representatives for the city’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities Services (DBHIDS) will also be on site at the Kensington Storefront to work directly with program participants and support the project.

The project is slated to begin in the Fall of 2024 and be completed by Spring 2025.  The artist will be expected to be on-site at the Kensington Storefront Studio a minimum of two days per week during program hours (Monday-Thursday 8:30-12:30pm) or on-site at 5th Street working with the businesses. Additional hours both during and after CMB program hours may be required to complete the project.

Background (El Bloque de Oro):

El Bloque de Oro, located in El Centro de Oro (the Golden Center), is the heart of Philadelphia’s Latino community. It’s home to third- and fourth- generation family businesses and the Feria del Barrio, an annual celebration of Latino art and culture. The corridor was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with several businesses closing, and the surrounding area has been impacted by the opioid epidemic. The resilience of El Bloque de Oro in the face of these challenges is a testament to the self-determination and solidarity of the people who live and work there. Bringing new beauty to its storefronts would help this crucial business corridor thrive.

MAP’s proposal is designed to honor the corridor’s identity by facilitating a collaboration between the arts and businesses. This project will result in updating the look of storefronts, increasing their visibility, and expressing the vibrancy of the neighborhood. This collaboration will present a durable, scalable, and cohesive enhancement to the look and feel of El Bloque de Oro. The project would begin in fall of 2024 and end in spring of 2025. With the guidance of HACE, MAP would connect an artist to small business people. The artist will collaborate with them to reinvigorate their storefronts with small murals, signage, and other decorations. These additions will help the businesses stand out with a fresh look and create a cohesive and vibrant identity for the block. Murals and other public art projects have been shown to discourage graffiti and improve foot traffic, so the benefit of these public art works will extend to the corridor as a whole.

Scope of Work:

The artists’ responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Develop a plan to engage community members and in conjunction with the North 5th Street business district to gather content and feedback about what types of things they might want to see done to reinvigorate the storefronts
• Develop a plan to engage the CMB program participants in art-making experiences geared towards teaching different techniques/skills and use that engagement to help advance production.
• Develop a design that takes into account the following challenges: 
• Creating a series of installations for 6+ businesses that is both cohesive and allows for the businesses’ individuality to shine through
• Creating enhancements that both beautify and express the vibrancy of the neighborhood and take into consideration pre existing artwork in the neighborhood 
• Creating a design and a production plan that allows for the community members to complete the work while working in the CMB program
• Prepare for the Mural Arts design review process by creating a presentation for the Design Review team and representatives from each of the businesses.

Working with Mural Manager, Mat Tomezsko to oversee the day-to-day work of producing the project with CMB program participants who are responsible for the majority of the painting/production. This includes teaching participants fabrication techniques required as part of the design and being flexible about working in challenging environments and with individuals with minimum experience.

Work with CMB to build/produce all elements of this project.

Budget 

Artist Fee - $15,000 Payments will be as follows: 

• $2,500 for 4 weeks of engagement workshops w/ HACE and business owners 
• $2,500 for the design approval 
• $2,500 for Submission of a production plan - workshops w/ CMB program (Minimum of 2 days per week)
• $2,500 for 50% completion 
• $5,000 for 100% Completion/Dedication by April 2025
• Supply Budget - $9,000 (Managed by Mural Arts)
• Supplies - approximately $1,500 per site for 6 small businesses (this is to cover all paint, sundries, vinyl, etc. and all other materials required to complete this project)

Project Timeline

Project begins end of October/early November 2024 (Engagements)

Attend partner workshops @ HACE on 10/29 & 10/31

December 2024/January 2025 - Design Review (TBD)

February-March 2025 - Production begins 

April 2025 - Completion / Dedication event