It is fantastic if you already have a budget for a mural, but if not – consider fundraising and crowdsourcing for the funds necessary to pay the artist/designer for the design, painting, and supplies. While you may find an artist who might work for free or at a reduced price for a project they want to support – you should not expect that. Keep in mind that designing and painting a mural is a huge time commitment and few people can give up weeks of work time.
To keep costs down, ask for donations or deep discounts of paint and materials that are often given through stores. At times the store managers want to see the design before they will agree. To sweeten for them, you can offer to make a plaque or text on the wall that lists them as a sponsor.
Sometimes the artist might agree to first be paid to do the design then further fundraising could occur to pay for the paint and painting after the design has been finalized. Sometimes crowd-sourcing will be more successful when the public can visualize the final product.
Talk with a local arts organization who can sometimes get funding for a joint project. Though depending on grant deadlines, that process can take 6 months to a year in advance of your mural project and then its possible that the partnering organization may not win the grant.
Do some research in your town or city because sometimes there are foundations or city government who give grants to neighborhoods. For example, in Omaha the Omaha Foundation gives grants to neighborhood projects and one of the purposes is beautification of neighborhoods. The city of Omaha also has Neighborhood Grants available.
https://mayors-office.cityofomaha.org/neighborhoods
COMMUNITY PLANNING MEETINGS
The cost of the mural is the most difficult to determine because there are so many factors that determine the pricing including:
Size / Square Footage – multiply the height by the width
Lifts & Scaffolding – if the wall is higher than 15 ft, this requires the use of lifts and/or scaffolding which can be rented
Surface of Wall – Textures can increase time to paint and amount of paint if highly textured
Cost of paint and materials
Intricacy of design
Working conditions – For example, restricted hours of operation, tight timeline, cramped spaces
Extra Wall preparation – it is expected that the walls have been fixed, cleaned and primed but if they need extra work, the artist fee will increase
If artist is from out-of-town, you may be expected to pay transportation, lodging and food
Each artist has their own specifics regarding payment. Many require 50% down payment after a contract has been signed. This money goes towards supplies and paint and the time now dedicated to your project. The costs of a mural can vary greatly between artists depending on their experience, reputation and where they live. Murals can cost $10-$200 per square foot depending on the difficulty or intricacy of the design. The average cost is closer to $15-$30.
If you are sending out an artistic call to find an artist, list the artist stipend amount that you have decided on so that only those who are willing to work for that amount will apply. A way to reduce costs of a mural is to have a simple design or one that uses lots of negative space of the wall.
ITEMS TO DISCUSS & DECIDE
Amount of Money Already Raised
Amount of Money Yet to Raised
Fundraising Ideas
Partner with Others?
Who will research this?
Discounts from Which Stores?
Who will research this?
Local Philanthropic Organizations who give grants for Beautification?
Who will research this?
State or City Funds for Beautification?
Who will research this?
Crowdsourcing (Indiegogo, Kickstarter, etc)?