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By the end of September, Richmond is set to have two new murals downtown.
Artists have by end of day Thursday, May 30, to apply to paint those murals.
The village was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant and was notified of the grant in early February, said Village President Toni Wardanian.
“This was kind of quick” between learning about the grant, applying for it, and getting the award, she said. When Wardanian gave her “state of the village” speech at the Chain O’ Lakes Chamber of Commerce meeting in mid-January, the village still had not officially gotten notice that Richmond was selected.
One mural is set for Stevens Park, 10314 Main St., and the second on the side of the Wicked Woods & Goods building at 5613 Broadway Road, said Kristen Murphy, Richmond’s management analyst. The mural’s themes should be conservation, “highlighting the open areas and natural beauty of Richmond,” Murphy said.
The conservation aspect goes nicely with the recent addition of nearly 1,000 acres adjacent to Richmond becoming part of the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, Murphy added.
Finalists will be selected by June 6, the agreements ready for signatures by June 20, and the project should be completed by Sept. 30, according to the village website.
Artists may submit more than one concept for the murals but any concept must be the artist’s own work and must not violate copyright restrictions. The murals will be painted on panels provided by the village. The artist stipend is $10,000 for each.
More information and a link to the application can be found at the website, Richmond-il.com.