You will need to send your application per the submission instructions for this call.

Budget: $30,000

Activated: 10/01/2026 Deadline: 11/20/2026

Call Summary Encinitas Skate Park Mural (429 Santa Fe Drive) The city of Encinitas and the Encinitas Friends of the Arts invites artists across Southern California (Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura counties) to submit an application (RFQ) for a new mural at the Encinitas Skate Park (Poods). Artists must currently reside in one of the counties listed above.

Budget Description All materials and supplies included in total amount awarded.

Project Description Mural Project Details: This mural will exist within one of the most culturally significant public skate spaces in the region. The Encinitas Skate Park is not simply a recreational facility; it is part of the identity and history of skateboarding in Encinitas and Southern California. The mural should recognize that significance while contributing to the atmosphere and experience of the space today. The mural will become part of the visual identity of countless skate photos and videos. It will function not only as public art, but as a living backdrop to movement, performance, documentation, and community memory. The mural should contribute to the feeling of a public skatepark that is open, family-friendly, creative, and community-oriented, rather than hostile, exclusionary, or overly aggressive in tone. Community feedback emphasized that skateboarding itself is collaborative. Every session involves shared space, mutual observation, influence, and collective energy. The mural should resonate with that spirit of shared culture and participation. The mural should avoid being overly literal or touristy. The goal would be an artwork with enough depth, energy, and visual strength to remain compelling over time. The mural should reflect the layered and collective nature of skate culture itself. The mural should create a sense of excitement and visual presence within the bowl area while remaining sophisticated enough to hold long-term relevance. The overall goal of the mural is to create a mural that strengthens the identity of the Encinitas Skate Park, reflects the culture and history of skating in Encinitas, enhances the lived experience of the skatepark, inspires skaters across generations and creates a memorable and recognizable visual backdrop tied specifically to Encinitas. The final work should feel as though it belongs uniquely to the Encinitas Skate Park or to “Poods” and could not be transplanted elsewhere without losing meaning. Primary Audience and Users The primary audience for the mural is the skate community itself. The work will be experienced most directly by: • Skaters actively using the bowl and surrounding features • Young skaters growing into the culture • Longtime local skaters with deep ties to the history of the park • Friends, families, and community members who gather around skate sessions • Photographers and filmmakers • Online audiences through skate photography, video clips, social media Vibe and Desired Qualities The feel of the mural should be: • Energetic • Inspiring • Locally rooted • Authentic • Collaborative • Welcoming • Contemporary without feeling trendy or disposable Artistic Direction Artists may consider the following: • The long skate history of Encinitas • Multiple forms of skating culture, including street skating as well as bowl skating • The pride local skaters feel toward the park • The role of the skatepark as a community gathering space and a place of progression, creativity and expression

Eligibility Artists must be from a Southern California county.

Application Requirements

Biography Resume: 1 page(s) maximum Work examples: 1 - 8

Artists are allowed to apply in teams. Artists applying as a team must split the allotted number of work examples between themselves.

Selection Information

Selection Process Request for Qualifications (RFQ): For this project, a review panel of four (4) to eight (8) stakeholders: consisting of members of the Commission for the Arts, 1 representative from the Encinitas Friends of the Arts, local skate community members, local artists and youth will review the submissions and recommend a short-list of three (3) artists to develop site-specific proposals. Short-listed Artists will be given further information on the project. Using this information, each artist will develop site-specific proposal(s). Artists may use models, drawings, computer-generated imagery and material samples to communicate their proposals. They must include in their proposals a budget that does not exceed the maximum budget for the project. The site-specific proposals will be initially reviewed and ranked by the review panel of local stakeholders. The review panel’s rankings will be considered by the Commission for the Arts and City Council for final approval of the site-specific proposals. An Agreement will be negotiated between the selected artist and the City of Encinitas, providing the top ranked site-specific proposal. The Agreement provides the artist with guidelines on how to complete the artwork and meet all related costs such as travel, materials, fabrication, transportation, insurance and installation of the work within a mutually agreed time and for a fixed fee. The Encinitas Friends of the Arts, a local 501© (3) will pay the artist directly for services rendered.

Selection Criteria Selection Information: Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria: • Artistic Quality (40%) • Alignment with the Site, Encinitas Skate Park (40%) • Alignment with the Encinitas Public Art Mission (20%)

Timeline Project Timeline: Call for Artists Opens: October 1, 2026 Submission Deadline: November 20, 2026 Panel Review Process 1st Round: December 1-11, 2026 Request for Proposals Design Phase (three artists): December 14 through January 8, 2027 Panel Review Process 2nd Round (RFP): January 11-15, 2027 Commission for the Arts & City Council Approval: February and March, 2027

Additional Resources

https://www.encinitasca.gov/government/departments/parks-recreation-cultural-arts/arts-opportunities

Unnamed Resource (PDF)

Contact Information

Laurette Garner Arts Program Manager 505 S. Vulcan Ave. Encinitas California 92024 United States lgarner@encinitasca.gov 7606332748

Submission Instructions

Mailing Address City Hall Attn: Laurette Garner 505 S. Vulcan Ave. Encinitas, CA. 92024

Mailing Submission Instructions A USB flash drive with all the required information may be mailed to the mailing address listed in this call for artists.

Website Address https://www.encinitasca.gov/government/departments/parks-recreation-cultural-arts/arts-opportunities

Website Submission Instructions Click on the online application link to apply through Survey Monkey.