Six new murals could line a downtown Norman alleyway in spring 2027 if the Norman Arts Council finds the right artists.
The council issued a request for qualifications for its "Gray St Walls" project, seeking six muralists or mural teams to paint barrier walls along Gray Street between Peters and Crawford. Three existing walls will each be divided in half, creating six panels roughly 22.5 feet wide and 14 feet tall.
The walls already carry a mural on the side facing Gray Street. The new work will cover the interior sections along the alleyway, which the council described as "an opportunity to beautify and improve the area."
Each selected artist or team will receive $7,875 for a completed panel. That fee must cover design, materials, fabrication, lighting, travel, insurance, shipping and installation.
Applicants must submit a letter of interest of no more than one page, a résumé or CV, an artist bio or statement, three public-art references, and three to five high-resolution images of previous work with supporting details. Design proposals are not requested at this stage.
How the selection works
A panel of stakeholders, design professionals, city representatives, a Norman Public Art committee member, a Norman Arts Council board member and arts community members will review applications. Eight finalists will be chosen the week of Dec. 14 and paid $350 each to produce renderings.
Sketch submissions are due Feb. 19, 2027. The panel will then narrow the field to six muralists the week of March 1, 2027.
Installation is planned for the third and fourth weeks of April 2027.
At least three of the six spots will go to artists from the Norman or Oklahoma City metro area. The remaining positions are open to muralists across the United States. The council noted that artists identifying with ethnic, cultural, sexual, gender, economic or ability minorities are encouraged to apply.
Proposals containing what the council called "lewd language, graphic content, sex, or politics" will not be considered.
The deadline is Friday, Dec. 4. Interested artists can apply at normanarts.org/rfq-grayst.
