Let’s paint together.

Alamogordo Mainstreet is seeking artists to transform the western 900-block alleyway into a colorful and historic outdoor gallery. We invite artists to submit their proposals for the creation of five unique murals that will contribute to the historic and artistic identity of our downtown area.

Artists will receive a stipend and will be competing for cash prizes through a community vote for best mural!

Theme: Celebrating Local Culture and History

Utilizing Founder’s Park and the iconic Train mural as the initial inspiration for this project, Alamogordo Mainstreet is looking for artists to work in collaboration with the Historical Society at the Tularosa Basin Museum of History to create compelling, Alamogordo history-based art pieces to display in our alleyway, visible from White Sands Boulevard. There are 5 prompts to choose from:

• Pioneer Women of Alamogordo (4ft x 8ft)

  • In 1897, the first three women (Mrs. woods,Mrs. Blakley, and Mrs. Walker) arrived in what was to become Alamogordo. The two and four horse team wagons carried all their goods and their husbands came behind them with livestock. In 1899 ten women formed a club to open and maintain a library all with volunteer help from their growing group of women. In 1910 they were incorporated, and given the cemetery to maintain.

• Celebrating Chihuahuita (4ft x 8ft)

  • Chihuahuita was platted in 1900 and incorporated in 1912. It was designated for non-English speaking workers who came from Mexico to work on the railroad. By 1901 it already had several hundred people living in the community, and they even had a meat market and store. As the logging industry grew, many from Chihuahuita decided to work in the mountains.

• Ranching Stories (4ft x 8ft)

  • There are several large, pinnacle ranches in our area, including O.M. Lee’s which was so large that it had the “Omlee” railroad stop designated for loading cattle onto the train.

• The Buffalo Soldiers (up to 9ft x 12ft)

  • These men have rich history here. The name comes from Native Americans across the plains states who saw these men’s features and pegged their nickname. Comprised of all African American men, there were about 4,000 Buffalo Soldiers who served at 11 posts across New Mexico, protecting travelers to California and trade routes along the Rio Grande.

• Holloman’s Beginnings (4ft x 8ft)

  • After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, several of Alamogordo’s community leaders decided we needed a military base here. After the site was selected, soldiers from Fort Bliss were sent to start laying out landing strips. Before there was any base housing, families lived in tents or outbuildings on the Strawbridge property.

Artists are encouraged to visit the Tularosa Basin Museum of History for more information on these topics.

Eligibility:

• Open to individual artists and artist teams.

• All artists, or at least one in a team, should have experience in mural painting or large-scale work. However, if a selected artist does not have experience with murals, there will be a “Best Practices” class available to artists who need assistance!

• Artists of all backgrounds and styles are welcome to apply.

• Artists MUST state which prompt(s) they are interested in applying for in application.

Submission Guidelines:

1. Proposal: Submit a detailed proposal for your mural (renderings welcome) and include a 300 word artist statement. Four murals will be on 4ftx8ft primed sheet metal panels, oriented in portrait style. Only ONE of the options (The Buffalo Soldier) has a larger surface available to paint (9ft x 12ft on cinderblock) with the option to do a partial wrap around that exceeds the given measurement, but the design needs to at least be 4ft x 8ft. Please keep this in mind when designing.

2. Multiple Prompts: If you are applying for more than one piece, please put your design and artist statement for each piece in their own individual documents. This will make it easier for our selection team to keep items together.

3. Artwork: Your business name/tag name may not be a part of the design. Any submissions that include this will be disqualified. You may put your name/tag once the piece is completed in a small section of the piece that does not distract from the overall artwork.

4. Timeline: Artist painting times will be from Monday, September 16th to Saturday, November 2nd. This is to ensure that there will be plenty of time to paint around the construction that will be happening for our Great Blocks Project (for more information click here).

5. Portfolio: Provide a portfolio showcasing previous mural work or relevant art projects.

6. Resume: Include a resume highlighting your artistic experience.

Submission Deadline: September 2nd, 2024

Selection Process:

A panel of local artists and community representatives will blindly review all submissions and select the winning proposals based on creativity, relevance to the theme, and how well the design portrayed the prompt. Again, use the Historical Society for reference! They want to share stories with you to help bring your pieces to life!

Supplies:

Alamogordo Mainstreet will provide artists with a $300 stipend for supply purchases. The Buffalo Soldier mural stipend will be determined based on size, not to exceed $500.

Installation Deadline:

The panels artists will be painting on will already be installed on site and primed. Painting needs to be done no later than November 2nd, 2024.

How to Submit:

Submit your proposal, portfolio, and resume below!

Cash Prizes

At the Ribbon Cutting (TBD) for the completion of the alleyway, there will be community voting taking place to determine recipients of our cash prizes.

1st place: $2,000

2nd place: $1,500

3rd place: $1,000

If you have any questions please reach out to design@alamogordomainstreet.org with the subject line "SideStreet Art Project Phase 2 Application Questions."

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the cultural vibrancy of Downtown Alamogordo. We look forward to receiving your innovative proposals and bringing these dynamic murals to life!