Black Cat Alley calls for artist submissions for new installation in April

The East Side Business Improvement District is looking for an artist or group of artists to paint a new mural for Black Cat Alley. The mural will be unveiled in April of 2018.

Black Cat Alley is an open-air art gallery featuring murals by 17 artists located between Kenilworth Blvd. and Ivanhoe (between the Oriental Theatre on Farwell Ave. and Colectivo Coffee on Prospect Ave). Black Cat Alley was created in order to transform a dark and quiet area of the East Side into a beautiful and cultural destination for Milwaukeeans and tourists alike. The first installation was completed by September 18 in 2016.

For their next commissioned piece, the East Side BID is looking for artworks that inspire and delight and that add to the current collection of public murals in a positive way. The mural will be located on the north wall of Black Cat Alley, and the dimensions are 12 feet (w) x 34 feet (h).

Each artist or collective may present one proposal for their piece with a color sketch of their proposed design made to scale and proportions of the wall. A committee will review the submissions and select a winner based on artistic merit, message and originality of design. All artists must have access to their own studio in which to complete the design on a 400 square foot poly fabric canvas, which will be provided by the East Side BID.

The deadline for submissions is March 9. Winners will be announced that following Thursday on March 15. The winner will have approximately one month to complete their work, which will be installed the weekend of April 21-22.

The winners will receive an honorarium of $2,000. Supplies and installation will be provided, including. To submit a design, click here. The next call for artists for another installation in the fall will be announced this spring.