Casa Central is incredibly proud to be a Healing Illinois grantee. Healing Illinois is a racial healing initiative led by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), in partnership with The Chicago Community Trust, and designed to distribute $4.5 million in grants to organizations across the state to activate the work of racial healing. Healing Illinois is building a bridge to a racially equitable Illinois and as a Healing Illinois grantee, Casa Central is ready to get to work!
Casa Central is soliciting proposals from artists to create and install a mural on an interior wall at one of Casa Central's buildings. We intend to select two artists for this project who will work collaboratively to create the mural. Artists may apply individually or as a team of two. If an artist who applies individually is selected, Casa Central will pair them with another artist. The mural should depict the unity and collaboration of the Black and Brown communities and promote racial healing. The mural should also reflect Casa Central’s important role in the community as well as its s role in establishing and leading Two-Thirds United, a collaboration of Latino and African-American leaders and organizations formed in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder to build stronger ties between Black and Brown communities in Chicago.
“We are excited to invite artists to create an obra de arte that reflects the importance of racial healing and unity among the Latino and African American communities, as well as Casa Central’s social impact, on the walls of our own community gathering place, the Fisher Family Community Center,” said Martin R. Castro, Casa Central President and CEO.
The artists will work in collaboration with designated Casa Central leadership to coordinate the design, fabrication and installation of the artwork. The total budget for this project is $10,000. The mural will be located at Casa Central’s Ward and Rita Fisher Family Community Center’s Auditorium located adjacent to the main office at 1343 N California Ave., and across the street from Humboldt Park. A space for community engagement and collaboration, the Auditorium is home to a wide variety of events, including Casa Central’s Annual Community Health Expo (free and open to the community), informational sessions put on by Casa Central’s programs, and trainings held in collaboration with the Agency’s expansive network of community partners. The present design plan is to create a two triptych (three part) format murals, consisting of three, 5 ft. X 5 ft. squares, with the three squares each forming
a single contiguous image.
The selected artists will be responsible for the design and installation of a mural at Casa Central's Auditorium in the Ward and Rita Fisher Family Community Center. Any site prep that needs to be done will also come from the budget. The total budget for this project is $10,000 of which $5,000 will be paid to each artist. The artist fee shall be for research, design, management, travel and administrative costs such as shop or construction drawings, materials, and for the actual painting work.
The mural's goals are to:
Build and advance knowledge and understanding of racial healing and racial equity in the community.
Depict the unity and collaboration of the Black and Brown communities of Chicago.
Increase trust and relationship building, among the residents of Illinois.
Provide opportunities for communities and individuals to begin to heal from the harms caused by racism.
Build the foundation for long-term racial healing and anti-racism in Illinois.
The selected artists will work closely with Casa Central leadership to:
Create a concept for the mural that clearly defines both aesthetic and materiality.
Identify strategies to visually connect the mural to the surrounding site.
Outline methods of fabrication and installation for the artwork.
Present a detailed proposal of the final design for approval by the Casa Central leadership team.
Manage the fabrication and installation of the approved artwork.
Deliver the artwork to the site by the project deadline.
Approximate Schedule
January 22, 2021 Project Application Submissions Due by 5:00 PM CST
January 27 Selected Artists Announced
February 15, 2021 Design Concept Due
February 29, 2021 Deadline to Accept Design
March 31, 2021 Installation Completed
This schedule is subject to change without notice. Interested applicants should submit their resume and digital portfolio via email to cesparza@casacentral.org.
This project is made possible by the Healing Illinois Grant program, which was launched as racial healing initiative led by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), in partnership with The Chicago Community Trust, designed to distribute $4.5 million in grants to organizations across the state to activate the work of racial healing.