Project Description 

The City of Moscow and the Moscow Arts Commission (“MAC”) invite artists and artist teams to submit qualifications for a mural to be installed at the Moscow City Shop facility. The mural will be painted on a new concrete wall on the east side of the facility, at the intersection of Polk St. and Public Ave. 

The Moscow City Shop is located on a major throughfare that connects residential neighborhoods and parks with the community’s downtown core. This facility, a busy hive of activity, houses the equipment and staff groups that tend to Moscow’s public infrastructure. While the rolling hills of the Palouse are certainly a unique and celebrated backdrop of the community, the built environment of Moscow’s streets, parks, and pathways are the landscape that shapes physical and social connections for its citizens. The mural at the City Shop will honor the equipment and people that create a safe, beautiful environment for Moscow residents.   

Artwork Design Parameters 

The mural will be painted on a 6’h x 65’w concrete wall, which will be constructed by the City in 2026. The mural is anticipated to last between 5-8 years, so paint materials used to complete this project must be professional, exterior-grade, water-based coatings designed for exposure to year-round exterior conditions. This site cannot accommodate murals on panels, kinetic or sculptural works, or any artwork that requires power or water. This mural site is near a busy intersection; as such, the site is not compatible with highly-reflective materials. 

See site details located at the end of the RFQ document linked here.   

Budget 

The artist honorarium for the mural installation is not to exceed $10,000. Included in this budget are the artist’s fee, insurance, travel, fabrication, engineering, materials, installation, documentation, and all other costs accrued by the artist specific to this project. The artist honorarium does not include costs associated with construction of the wall, surface preparation, priming, and the application of an anti-graffiti coating after the mural installation. These processes will be completed and paid by the City of Moscow.

Eligibility 

Artists eighteen (18) years-of-age and older from the United States are eligible for this project. Preference may be given to artists who live in Latah County, Nez Perce County, or those who are Nez Perce or Coeur d’Alene tribal members and/or have a significant Idaho economic presence, with secondary preference given to those artists who live in Asotin County or Whitman County. Artists are eligible regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital or familial status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, and gender expression or identity. Artist teams are eligible to apply, including teams of artists from multiple disciplines. Selection panelists and their immediate family members are not eligible for participation. No artist sitting on a Selection Panel may submit a proposal for the project for which the Selection Panel was formed.          

Important Dates (subject to change) 

January 5 - March 2, 2026 RFQ Submission Period

April 2026 Finalists create site-specific proposals for Selection Panel review

June 2026 Selected Artist Announcement 

September 30, 2026 Installation Deadline         

Submission and Selection 

Round #1 of the selection process welcomes the submission of artist qualifications and examples of past work. These materials will be evaluated by the Selection Panel, which will then recommend three finalists to create site-specific proposals. Each of the finalists will be required to enter into an agreement for creating the site-specific design and will receive a $1000 honorarium which is anticipated will be used towards travel expenses, food, design fees, lodging, and any and all expenses related to the creation of artist’s proposal and presentation. No site-specific designs will be reviewed or considered in Round #1 of the submission process. 

Round #2 will consider the merits of finalist proposals. The Selection Panel will make a recommendation to the MAC, which will recommend an artist/artist team and design to City Council. Upon approval by City Council, all finalists will be notified of the decision and the selected artist will complete a contract with the City for the completion of the mural.         

Round #1 Submission Requirements & Selection Criteria 

1. Letter of Interest 

2. Resume 

3. Work Samples: Include up to 6 photographs of no fewer than 2 projects of a similar or larger scale.

4. Selection Criteria

Artist Qualifications

a. The artist’s letter articulates interest in pursuing this project as well as describing its relevance to their artistic practice.

b. The artist’s letter of interest reveals an understanding of and connection to the public art site and project description.

c. The artist’s resume reveals a record of practice in the art field, including public art commissions.

d. The applicant submits photographs of at least 2 completed public art projects of similar or larger scale.

e. The artist’s past work reveals aesthetic, conceptual, and technical expertise. 

Only the materials listed above are being accepted during Round #1. To view the full RFQ with submission requirements and selection criteria for Round #2, please click here. 

Selection Panel 

The Arts Manager will coordinate recommendation of selection panelists with the Mayor and Council. MAC will consider the guidelines hereinbelow, requests by individuals, and staff recommendations. Selection Panel members shall serve at the appointment of the Mayor. Selection Panel will be comprised of at least the following:    

1. Voting members:    

- Participating department representative or designee (3)

- Moscow Council member or designee (1)

- MAC members (2)

- Community representative, preferably from project impact area (1)

- Artist not involved with the respective public art project (1)

2. Non-voting members:

- Arts Manager (Selection Panel facilitation)

- Project Architect, landscape architect, interior designer, or engineer

- City staff members acting in a technical advisory capacity

Length of term. Each Selection Panel member serves through the completion of one (1) public art project.

No artist sitting on a Selection Panel may submit a proposal for the project for which the Selection Panel was formed. MAC members shall declare a conflict of interest if a project comes before the Selection Panel from which they or a member of their household or business could financially benefit. MAC members shall also declare a conflict of interest if a person with whom they share a household or whom they professionally represent has a matter to be considered by the Selection Panel. Such person shall recuse themselves from any participation in any process for the project the Selection Panel is considering. No member of the project’s architect or landscape architect, interior designer, or engineering firm may apply for a public art project being designed by that firm.

Selection Panel Procedures and Responsibilities 

1. Moscow Arts Manager will hold an orientation for the Selection Panel. The orientation may include a presentation of works currently in the public art collection, review of program guidelines, orientation to the specific project; and/or a review of any goals already established by the participating department and the Moscow Arts Manager and MAC.    

2. Review all submissions pertaining to the public art project using the published criteria.    

3. Approve all recommendations by a majority vote of the full Selection Panel.    

4. The Selection Panel will make recommendations on finalists and their work to the Arts Manager. MAC members on the Selection Panel will report the Panel’s recommendation to the Commission during a regular meeting, after which the MAC will vote to recommend an action on the project to City Council.    

5. The Arts Manager will then generate a project report to present to the Mayor and Council for final approval.    

6. The City reserves the option of making no recommendation from submitted applications and may require reopening of the competition or may propose other methods of selection, if no proposal is accepted.    

7. The Selection Panel must always adhere to the requirements of Moscow City Code Title 5, Chapter 18.    

About Moscow, ID 

Moscow is settled on the rolling hills of the Palouse, a rich landscape long inhabited by the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce), Palus (Palouse), and Schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’ Alene) tribes indigenous to the region. The City of Moscow was incorporated on July 12, 1887, and its modern history is rooted in agriculture; the surrounding region produces top-quality wheat and pulses. The presence of farming in the community goes far beyond commerce, however, as grain silos and other architectural features announce agricultural endeavor as part of the community’s aesthetic identity. 

Moscow is home to the University of Idaho, a land grant institution established in 1889. School spirit influences the atmosphere of the city, imbuing it with the balance of gravitas and celebration that characterizes educational experience. University arts programs like the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and the Prichard Art Gallery have greatly contributed to Moscow’s identity as a cultural center. The community is rich not only in visual and performing arts events, but also in recreational and culinary opportunities. Residents and visitors alike enjoy the Palouse landscape at recreational features like Moscow Mountain and the Bill Chipman Palouse Trail, followed by tastes of the region at area restaurants, wineries, and breweries. 

City of Moscow Public Art

Public art is at the heart of Moscow’s creative culture, and with a collection including works by local and regional artists, its public spaces reflect the Inland Northwest’s tradition of artistic excellence. The City of Moscow Arts Department and the Moscow Arts Commission (MAC) share a mission to enrich the community by celebrating and cultivating the expressions of all forms of art and culture. The MAC has fostered artistic excellence and public access to the arts in the city since its founding on October 2, 1978. Programming includes curation of exhibition space at the Third Street Gallery inside City Hall, a biennial Mayor’s Arts Awards, Moscow Poet Laureate programming, and a comprehensive public art program. 

The City of Moscow’s acquisition of public art began in the 1980s and is supported by a 1%-for-the-Arts fund established in 2004. A Public Art Master Plan, adopted in 2015, guides the incorporation of new works into the City’s landscape. Stewardship of the collection is a collaborative effort, with artistic advice from the MAC, direction from City Council, and operational details managed by Arts Department staff. The Public Art program aims to reflect the character of Moscow by fostering relationships between individuals and institutions in the community. Whether part of the University, business community, or the agricultural tradition, the City’s creative partners generate aesthetic excellence, civic identity, and economic strength by supporting the arts.

The Public Art collection is currently comprised of more than 220 temporary and permanent features. Temporary artworks include vinyl-wrapped utility boxes and bus shelters as well as a sculpture garden featuring artworks on loan to the City. Artworks in the permanent collection range from mosaic murals and sculptures-in-the-round to framed pieces in the Portable Collection. Each new piece in the permanent collection joins others by celebrated regional artists including Harold Balazs, David Govedare, Miles Pepper, Robert Horner, Melissa Cole, J. Casey Doyle, Jay Rasgorshek, and artist team Jennifer Corio and Dave Frei. 

Moscow is a community rich with diversity of thought, inhabited by minds open to possibility and creative interpretation. As such, the Public Art program not only celebrates the artist as a professional and valued business partner, but also welcomes a broad range of appearances, media, and art-making processes into its collection.