About Us

Since 2004, Clark County Mural Society has been on a mission to increase tourism and improve commerce through mural art, and so far it’s working. Our team of artists and volunteers have been:

  • Inspiring and energizing our town and uniting our community by encouraging participation from all ages and walks of life
  • Beautifying our streets while decreasing vandalism and eliminating graffiti
  • Creating a greater appreciation of the visual arts and our historical roots while establishing the face and identity of Vancouver, Washington

In 2002, Jerry Rolling and Nikki White began walking with a group on Friday mornings. During one of their walks, Jerry told Nikki about Chemainus, a small town in British Columbia, Canada that revived its economic fortunes after the local mill downsized by painting murals on every available downtown wall. When Jerry suggested someone do the same with downtown Vancouver; Nikki responded, “How about us?” and continued to ask that same question for the next year and a half.

In January 2004, Nikki and Jerry formalized the Clark County Mural Society as a nonprofit and quickly co-opted Guy Drennan, an experienced local muralist to paint our first mural, the Remembrance Wall.

Call To Artists 2020



Request for Proposal: Van Vista Mural Project at 10 W 13th St, Vancouver, WA 98660 

Background The Vancouver Housing Authority (“VHA”) is currently completing an extensive renovation of Van Vista Plaza Assisting Living. As part of this renovation VHA would like to include a mural on the exterior of the building further detailed within this solicitation. Van Vista Assisted Living houses low-income seniors with a goal of tailoring services to each resident’s specific needs. Through a community outreach process VHA enlisted input from residents to determine the theme of the mural. 

The mural is intended to serve the residents as well as the greater Vancouver community. VHA would like to give artist flexibility when determining how best to utilize the space however VHA is envisioning a substantially sized mural. VHA would like the mural to be completed by the end of summer 2020 however there may be some flexibility on the schedule guided by the selected artist. The proposal submission deadline is Sunday June 7, 2020. Please email proposals as a PDF to: pmsupervisor@ccmurals.org 

Location Van Vista is located at 10 W 13th St, Vancouver, WA 98660. The mural will be located on the east wall of the building. The wall is 9 stories tall, around 50 feet wide, and has a roughly 5-foot gap for windows in the center. The wall is made of brick except for the gap in the center, which is cement. 

It is up to the discretion of the artist(s) to decide how much of the wall will be covered. A sealant and potentially an anti-graffiti coating will be applied to the wall after the mural is completed. The mural medium must be able to work with the sealant and anti-graffiti coating. 

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Theme It is up to the discretion of the artist(s) to decide how and what to integrate in regard to the theme. The theme was developed based on Van Vista resident feedback: 

● Native Washington wildlife and flora – State bird (American Goldfinch), state flower (Pacific rhododendron), state tree (Western Hemlock), fir trees, wildflowers, etc. 

● Colorful sky – photo submitted by a resident as an example 

Artists Proposal Requirements Applicants must include the following materials as part of their proposal: 

● Completed Artist Waiver Form 

● A brief description and a color illustration of the proposed mural. Please include supplemental information such as medium (must work when covered by sealant and anti- graffiti coatings) and approximate dimensions of the proposed mural. 

● An estimated project budget including time, materials, travel-related expenses, and other associated costs. 

● Images of previous mural work 

● Assuming a July start, please provide an estimated timeline for project completion 

Proposals should be emailed as a PDF to: pmsupervisor@ccmurals.org 

Selection Process Finalists will be considered based on meeting the following criteria: 

● Artist met the requirements outlined in the RFP; the proposal was submitted by the deadline 

● Attention to the theme 

● Originality and creativity 

● Evidence of ability to create large scale, distinct work 

● Ability to maintain project timelines and budgets 

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Project Timeline (subject to change) May 19th, Announcement and distribution of RFP June 7, Deadline for submitting proposals June 8-12, All submissions reviewed and finalists selected June 15-19, Interviews with finalists (if necessary) June 22-26, Artist(s) selected and contract completed July, Work begins (schedule TBD with artist) 

Policies Artists will retain the ownership of design ideas submitted with this application until a selection has been made and a contract is signed between the artist and the Vancouver Housing Authority. Cost incurred for the preparation of the proposal will be at the expense of the proposer and not reimbursed by VHA. At the time a contract is awarded, the ownership of the design and the mural will become the property of VHA. 

Financial compensation will be made in accordance with the agreed upon contract between the artist and VHA. The artist(s) must carry personal liability insurance for the duration of the project. 

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