I am the arts and humanities coordinator for the City of Takoma Park, Md. I am planning a public art project where a mural/mosaic will extend more than two blocks along a waist-high retaining wall next to a new city-built sidewalk. I'm trying to estimate a fair payment for the artist(s) who will be selected. I had read that $15 per square foot is common, and I've got about 1,350 square feet to cover. That would come to about $20,000 and I'm thinking about adding an additional $5,000 because the project will require extensive neighborhood meetings/involvement. Does that sound like a fair payment? Is a higher payment usually made for mosaics instead of murals since there are more materials involved? 

On a related note, I'd like to know some websites to post public art calls other than AFTA, preferably free sites that don't require subscriptions. Thanks in advance for any advice. 

Cheers,

Brendan Smith