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Council approves call for art for parking garage mural, plans panel installation to protect brick
Summary
Oxford City Council approved the Public Art Commission’s recommendation to release a call for artists to create a mural for the municipal parking garage; the city will install the mural on a panel system rather than painting directly on brick and has budgeted funds for the project.
Oxford City Council on Tuesday authorized the Public Art Commission to release a call for art for a mural installation at the municipal parking garage and affirmed the city’s preference for mounting the artwork on a panel system rather than painting directly on brick.
Staff told council that the city’s comprehensive plan encourages creative placemaking and that a mural on the parking garage would be a highly visible landmark for uptown visitors. Because of concerns about painting directly on brick, the city plans to use removable panels as the preferred installation method.
The Public Art Commission (PACO) will receive artist qualifications through the call for art and select finalists who will be paid a stipend to prepare full‑color renderings scaled to the garage. Staff said the capital budget contains an appropriation for the mural and that PACO receives annual support for its programs. The city expects the ideal installation window to be fall 2025.
Council members praised the project’s potential to aid wayfinding and enhance placemaking. “That piece of art could be a landmark to help people find the garage,” a councilor said. The commission and staff will proceed with a standard request‑for‑qualifications process, followed by finalist selection, negotiation and contracting with the selected artist, who is expected to lead final implementation.
The resolution passed by voice vote. Council requested that artist contracts address durability and maintenance expectations and noted the city’s preference for an implementation model where the artist serves as lead contractor, as has been done on prior local installations.
