Normally, you want to see the artist receive a fee that is around 20% of the total budget so it is important to know the cost of the mosaic if that’s the material you want used. It is unclear from your question whether you are considering the artist fee to be $20-25K (which would make your total budget around $100-125K) or if that’s your total budget. If you have not already done so, I suggest you look into the cost of producing a mosaic that fits your parameters in order to establish a reasonable overall budget. I am sure many people on this Listserv can recommend mosaic fabricators to you, but several of my clients have had great luck with Mosaica

You can also take the approach of putting out an RFP with your parameters and asking the artists to provide a budget for the project (though you will still want to have some idea of the range you are hoping to pay). You might find that the artists have other suggestions for materials and methods that you’ve not considered which may be more appropriate for the space and/or budget-friendly.

Sarah Conley Odenkirk

ArtConverge

6253 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 201

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

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