Fairfax seeks submissions for mural project

The Fairfax Public Art Foundation is seeking a muralist to design a piece along Broadway.

The foundation is a private advocacy organization that is collaborating with the Fairfax Parks and Recreation Commission on the project. The foundation released a request for proposals this week.

The new mural is to be featured at the Parkade, where the wall is a 2.5 feet tall by 100 feet long.

Christopher Lang, founder and president of the foundation, said he hopes the final piece provides a unique vision of the town’s history or its future.

“It’s the largest blank space in downtown Fairfax, bar none,” he said of the wall. “It’s the geographic and cultural center of Fairfax. It’s part of its lexicon and legacy.”

Artists are asked to submit a scale drawing that accurately represents their proposed mural design.

All proposals must be submitted in hard copy form and delivered to Maria Baird, the town’s special events and volunteer coordinator, at Town Hall. The submission deadline is Sept. 15.

“I am proud and pleased that we continue to celebrate the arts in Fairfax,” said Mayor Barbara Coler. “We celebrate art in our day-to-day life in many ways. This Parkade wall mural is yet another part of Fairfax celebrating the arts.”

Lang said there is no cost estimate for the project.

Town Manager Heather Abrams said the project likely would be funded through a stipend from the foundation. She said the town does not fund mural projects with its budget, and other projects were done on a volunteer basis.

“Public murals enhance the community and showcase local artists. In the case of the mural along the ballfield, Archie Williams High School students worked side by side to create art in a group setting,” Abrams said. “The mural on the retaining wall on the outside of the ballfield across from Fairfax Lumber was refurbished during COVID as a means to get people out of social isolation during the pandemic and help bring Fairfax residents together.”

The wall mural proposals will be reviewed by representatives of the foundation, the Fairfax Park and Recreation Commission and the Fairfax artist-in-residence program.