Mural Hosting - Frequently Asked Questions

1.) Will this cost me any money?

No. HDMF will pay all production costs associated with the mural. Including City of Bend permit fee, equipment rental, paint, etc.

2.) Can the mural contain advertising?

No. The High Desert Mural Festival is a nonprofit that fosters art for arts sake projects & is prohibited by our 501(c)3 status from participating in commercial activities such as advertising. Participating in commercial activity is also a violation of some of our grant support guild lines. Any advertising in a mural would be a red flag to the City of Bend as it is outside the spirit intended for the cities “mural program”. The City Counsel has indicated that if the programs intent is abused it can rescind the “mural program” at will & require all murals be painted over within 30 days of policy change.

3.) Can I choose the artist?

You can help. HDMF will try to match available artists to the desires of the building/business owner. Artist portfolios will be used to show artists visual styles. The artists portfolio will give a strong indication of what the finished artwork will be like. Color palette & subject matter suggestions will be taken into consideration.

4.) Can I choose the subject matter/content of the mural?

No. You can help, but ultimately the artist has control because the artist is not being commissioned to do a mural. A commissioned artwork is time consuming & expensive. HDMF’s policy is to invite artists to share their art with Bend. This allows HDMF to afford the process of painting public murals. HDMF is not commissioning the invited artists. The organization does not have the financial resources at this time to commission artists. A two-story mural commission costs a minimum of $10,000-$15,000 plus production expenses. HDMF artists are volunteering their time & creativity. Therefore, HDMF does not dictate art piece content to the artists. This gives the artists the opportunity to paint an art piece they want to do. HDMF matches a proposed artist to a building/business owners based on the portfolio of the artist. The artists portfolio gives the building/business owner a strong idea of what finished artwork will look like. Once an artist/building match is made, HDMF requests a basic rendering of proposed art piece from artists to show building/business owners & to submit for city permit application if needed.

5.) What kind of wall works best?

The best walls for murals are as smooth as possible. A cinder block wall or stucco wall is a good mural surface. Uneven or corrugated siding is more difficult to work on. Flat smooth ground surfaces are also preferable for easier access.

6.) How long do I have to have the mural on my building?

As long as you want. HDMF requests that the mural be up for at least a year because of the effort the artist put out as well as the production cost to produce the mural. The weather in Bend can significantly deteriorate a mural after a few years. The intense sun is the biggest factor. If the mural faces south or west the sun will deteriorate it faster than a north facing mural. All mural paints used by HDMF artists are UV protected to help slow this process. One solution to a deteriorated mural is to paint a new mural over it.

7.) Are there benefits to hosting a mural?

Yes! It makes your building a landmark in the community because you have a unique piece of art on your building. You will help to increase the culture of Bend by adding a piece of public art to our community.