Calling all Bull City sculptors, muralists, photographers, and other large-scale artists: If you can pull together a proposal this month, you have a chance to make your mark on Willard Street Apartments, the affordable-housing complex scheduled to open downtown in December.

A collaboration between the city, Raleigh-based affordable developer DHIC, and Durhamโ€™s Self-Help Credit Union, the mixed-use development will bring 82 affordable apartments and 5,000 square feet of commercial space to a parcel of city-donated land next to the Durham Transportation Station.

Now, all these entities are working with Downtown Durham, Inc.ย to give this very local project the finishing touchโ€”some very local art. Artists or teams have until the end of January to submit their qualifications to design, fabricate, and install a permanent artwork on several stucco panels on the development’s two-story parking structure.ย 

Though the call for proposals is open to all North Carolina artists, Durhamites will be given preference. (Wherever you live, experience is a must.) The chosen proposal will receive up to $30,000 to cover artist fees, materials, equipment, labor, permits, and other costs.

Read all the details, and then send your best vision for Durham’s affordable-housing push toย [email protected] with โ€œPublic Artโ€ in the subject line.


Correction: Artists are currently being asked to submit their qualifications for the project, not full design proposals.

Contact arts and culture editor Brian Howe at [email protected].ย