Normandy Park seeks artists for Mar Vista Park restroom mural; commission clarifies application and timeline

The Normandy Park Arts Commission reviewed a draft call to artists for a mural on the restroom building at Mar Vista Park and clarified how the application and selection process will work.

Reading from the draft, the Chair said, “the City of Normandy Park is seeking an artist or artist team to design and paint a mural on the restroom building at Mar Vista Park.” Commissioners discussed the document’s structure and agreed the descriptive design guidance (for example: minimalist, timeless aesthetic; six solid earth tones; durable materials) should sit under a "design guidelines" or "requirements" header while the application instructions — letter of interest, professional resume, three images and references — should be grouped under an “application” header.

Staff said the internal timeline for review has been shifted from May 1 to May 15 to allow more time for outreach and to collect submissions. Commissioners also discussed using a small scoring rubric (example: minimum three out of five across categories such as aesthetic fit and technical durability) to rank submissions, and they noted the city’s existing public art policy will guide the selection process.

Commissioners asked staff to recruit two or three volunteers from the Parks Commission and Arts Commission to serve on the review group and to bring back a finalized call to artists and rubric at a subsequent meeting.