PA05: Mural Design Approval Guidelines

Interim Mural Design Approval Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in designing a mural for the City and County of San Francisco. The following information is to assist you in your preparations. To make an appointment for mural review or for further information, please contact Carol Marie Daniels, Project Manager, Civic Art Collection, at 415-252-2588 or carol.marie.daniels@sfgov.org.

Murals under Arts Commission Jurisdiction

The San Francisco Arts Commission must approve all:

  • Murals to be placed upon city owned property
  • Murals for privately owned property financed in whole or in part with city funds.

Mural Design Approval Process

If your mural is to be placed on city owned property, you must obtain approval from the appropriate city department to proceed with the project prior to submitting a proposal to the Arts Commission. The Arts Commission will not review a proposal without the appropriate written approvals.

Mural proposals are initially reviewed by appointment with an Arts Commission Public Art Program staff member. The lead artist and the project coordinator must attend this meeting. The Public Art Program staff member will present the proposed mural design to the Curatorial Committee.

Following the Curatorial Committee’s recommendation for approval, the proposed mural design is placed on the consent calendar of the Visual Arts Committee, an Arts Commission subcommittee that meets on the third Wednesday of each month. Upon review and approval by the Visual Arts Committee, the item is placed on the consent calendar of the Full Arts Commission, which meets on the first Monday of each month. The Visual Arts Committee and the Full Arts Commission meetings are both held in Suite 70 on the lower level. Requirements for staff recommendation for approval are listed below. Mural applicants are welcome to attend the Visual Arts Committee or Full Arts Commission meetings, however, attendance is not required.

Timeframe

In determining the timeframe for the approval process, artists should allow sufficient time for the mural proposal to be reviewed a second time by the staff in the event a recommendation is made for a design revision. Therefore, requests for approval must be received no later than 90 days prior to actual implementation of design. Please note that approval of mural design does not constitute acceptance into the Civic Art Collection, unless specifically commissioned by or acquired by the Arts Commission for the City and County of San Francisco. The Arts Commission does not take responsibility for maintenance and preservation of designs approved by this body which are not a part of the Civic Art Collection.

Requirements for Mural Design Approval

Arts Commission staff will review mural proposals to ensure design integrity, and to determine that the Lead Artist has organized and synthesized images into a coherent, professional statement appropriate to the setting and architecture. Approval is contingent upon fulfillment of the following criteria:

  • Completed Mural Design Information Form including written description of proposed design, site, wall preparation, materials and processes to be used (including anti-graffiti treatment), individual/groups involved in the mural design, and/or preparation, and parties responsible for subsequent maintenance. Ideally, a separate maintenance plan should be included.
  • Lead artist’s qualifications and examples of previous work.
  • Funding source identified for the project
  • Evidence of community support for the project, e.g. letters of support from neighborhood associations, neighborhood petitions, etc.
  • Written permission to proceed with the project, including any additional requirements, from the property owner or city department with jurisdiction over the proposed sight. This letter should also include acknowledgment of receipt by the property owner of the California Art Preservation Act (”CAPA”) and Visual Artists Rights Act (”VARA”) relating to preservation and removal of artworks.
  • For all murals to be placed on city owned property, a signed Waiver of Proprietary Rights
  • Color scale rendering (no larger than 8-1/2″ x 14″) of proposed design, including any text.
  • Photographs of the proposed site and physical surroundings
  • Timeline for completing the project
  • Documentation of finished work. Photographic documentation of completed projects is required for our records.

PLEASE NOTE: Once the Arts Commission has approved the proposed mural design, the artist may not make additional changes to the design without returning to the Arts Commission for approval of the changes prior to implementation of the mural.

Public Art Documents: