Color the Curb: School Safety Program is a collaborative design and placemaking project created through a partnership of The District of Columbia Commission on Arts and Humanities (CAH), District Department of Transportation (DDOT), and DC Public Schools (DCPS). This program aims to increase pedestrian safety by painting ground murals in curb extensions outside or near schools in Washington, DC. We are seeking mural artists and professionals with prior large-scale exterior mural painting and youth engagement experience to design and install these ground murals in the intersections of 4 (four) schools in Ward 1, Ward 4, Ward 5 and Ward 8 in Washington, DC. Selected artists will be paired with one of the 4 (four) designated elementary schools and will work closely with faculty and students at the paired school, to create a final mural design. DDOT will provide a ground mural technical expert who will work with each selected artist/artist team on planning and implementation of the approved final design.
Applications will be reviewed and evaluated based on prior work demonstrating experience with large-scale exterior murals, youth engagement, and community-based projects. One artist or artist team will be selected for each of the 4 (four) sites. Selected artists will work with school personnel at their assigned school to gather student input on the mural design. This input will help form the basis for the development of site-specific designs to be approved by CAH, DDOT, and DCPS for final installation. The intention is to create engaging and vibrant works of art that build a sense of ownership and connection to their community and that will be a source of neighborhood pride for all residents.