overlay mural art & culture festival: call for muralists

We’re excited you’re here! Thanks for your interest in Overlay Mural Art & Culture Festival. We are gearing up for our returning event on October 3 & 4, 2025 and we’re opening applications to select our feature muralists. We want to hear from you if you're an experienced artist who wants to:

• Help us transform the Ozarks into an stunning outdoor art exhibit for all
• Paint live in a festival environment with live music, interactive art installations, local vendors and other such merriments. Please note that there will be days for mural installation bookending the festival dates for artists to prep, begin, and finalize their art piece. Our goal is for the festival dates to coincide with the middle-to-end phase of the art installation so that the public can witness your piece take form and really come to life in real time.
• Meet and work alongside other artists, crush a wall, and have some fun

About Overlay

Overlay, Inc. is a non profit arts and culture organization based in Springfield, MO with a mission to foster public art and live music in the Ozark region with a focus on mural arts, installation art, live music, and community integration through the arts.

About Overlay Mural Art & Culture Festival

Overlay is a 2 Day Midwest-based fusion festival experience celebrating the intersection of visual art, live music, technology and the sub culture that connects them all. Our 2025 event is a Brooklyn-style block party built around the centerpoint of a massive mural installation painted live alongside live DJ performances, interactive art exhibits, food and art vendors, and more.

2025 Call for Mural Artists

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR: We're looking for 1-2 mural artists or teams to design and install our 2025 featured double-elevation wall space in downtown Springfield, Missouri.

We are searching for either a single artist or team to complete both wall elevations as one cohesive piece, or two individual artists to complete each elevation, respectively. Please indicate in your application notes whether you are interested in leveraging both wall elevations or just one. See below Wall Space section for additional details.

Local, regional, and U.S. based national artists are invited to apply. We are unable to accept international applicants at this time. Selected artists should have experience painting large scale mural installations and exhibit a strong portfolio that showcases this experience. Selected artists must have liability insurance and certification to operate a lift during the time of event.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR: Overlay is excited to partner with the Springfield Rotary Presidents Council to establish a fund for this mural installation aimed at celebrating Springfield, MO being named the host city for a national Route 66 Centennial Kickoff. Overlay is interested in how we can leverage modern art practices and unique styles to breathe fresh life into a storied history of travel and exploration across the US. We are looking for artists to explore how this installation can shift away from traditional ideals of Route 66, i.e. cars and diner motifs, to focus on new, creative concepts that resonate with the spirit of adventure. Art concepts should be focused on the following abstract ideals:

1. Adventure
2. Exploration
3. Open Road
4. Community

See below expectations on concept expectations and timeline.

WALL SPACE: In lieu of multiple small scale installations, Overlay’s 2025 event will feature a single large scale, double elevation wall space. The wall space includes a number of windows to be considered in the mural design. Building photos and elevation renderings will be shared with selected artists for specific dimensions and soffits. General square footage includes:

1. Lower Elevation (ground level) - Approximately 79’x28’

2. Upper Elevation (stories 3-6) - Approximately 79’x46’

PAINT & EQUIPMENT: Required Lift rentals will be covered by Overlay. Specialty equipment desired by artist will be responsibility of artist. Paint orders will be responsibility of artist but can be coordinated through Overlay for a discounted rate if an order is ready to be placed on or before September 3, 2025.

AVAILABLE TIME: Artists are expected to paint live during our 2-day public festival event on October 3-4. Additional time will be allotted to artists to complete the artworks before and after the event. It is strongly encouraged for artists to complete work within a 5-7 day window from October 1-7 and designs should be planned accordingly. Overlay’s coordinators will work with artists during the art concept phase to determine an agreed upon timeline to ensure lift and equipment rentals are planned accordingly if longer timelines are needed.

ACCOMMODATIONS & EXPECTATIONS:

Accommodations: Selected artists will be provided hotel accommodations in a nearby, walkable-distance hotel for a minimum of 5 nights from 10/1 through 10/5 (dates subject to change dependent upon travel availability). Additional nights will be coordinated based on individual artist’s scheduled painting days. While we will do our best to provide comp’d stays in full, additional nights may be artist’s responsibility.

Pre/Post Event Installation Timing: Artists will have a minimum of 1 full prep/paint day Thursday 10/2 prior to the festival on 10/3 and 10/4. During the festival, artists will be expected to paint live in an active community environment with music, vendors, and activities taking place around the painting area. The painting area will be barricaded for artist and guest safety.

Concept Art Approval: _No art concepts are required for this application._Once selected, artists will be expected to provide 2 art concepts for their wall space on or before August 8. Our review panel will select a single concept to approve ahead of paint orders and artwork installation.

Artist Features and Celebrations: We want to celebrate with you! Artists are invited to post-event wrap dinner and wrap party on Sunday 10/5. Additional opportunities for artist features and events are TBD. More details will be provided after artist selection.

ARTIST COMPENSATION:

Artist Fee Range: $12,000–$30,000

Artist Fees will be determined based on wall assignment and experience level and are in accordance with national standards. For example, if a single artist or team is selected to complete both wall elevations, the artist fee would be $30,000. If two artists are selected to tackle each wall individually, the artist fee would be divided accordingly.

Ready to apply?

Please read all of the following, as we can only consider people who have applied properly.

Your commitment if chosen:

• The availability to be in Springfield, MO between October 1-7, dependent upon your wall space and painting requirements (by yourself).
• We ask that you paint live during our festival event on Friday Oct. 3 and Saturday Oct. 4, but will work with you individually to schedule additional days before/after to make sure you’ve got enough time to complete your piece.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

• Must be 21+ during the event (Oct. 3&4)
• Proven ability to complete a mural within 7 days
• Application Fee/Donation: An application fee of $5 is required for entry. Please submit payment through this link: https://givebutter.com/hCYDg3
• * Please submit application fees in conjunction with your application and submit a screenshot in the designated spot of the application process.

Timeline Schedule:

June 19: Call for Artists Opens

July 10 : Applications close

Late July : Artists are selected and notified; Wall Assignments and respective pay rates provided

Late July: Deposits and concept work begins (note: deposits will be issued as 10% of your overall artist fee once agreed upon)

August 8: Concepts Due to Overlay

August: Concepts reviewed/approved

October 1-7: Painting occurs with focus of primary painting days during the festival Oct. 3&4

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

• Location: All U.S. based artists are eligible to apply
• Duos/teams: We accept applications from duos. Please fill out one application for your duo with both of your information.
• Experience Level: Due to the size and complexity of this wall, professional mural experience is required for this application
• Approval Process for Artwork:
• From Overlay: If selected, you’ll be expected to provide 2 concepts to Overlay with a recommendation of your preferred piece. Our art curator will work with you to determine the best fit for your wall space and it’s proximity to other art pieces nearby, so please be sure to love both of the concepts you submit!
• From Building Owners & Funding Partners: We operate with a red-flag approval process with our building owners. This means we advocate for artist’s creative liberties and allow building owners and relevant sponsors to review to assure no overtly politically, religiously or sexually charged or otherwise offensive material is displayed in the artwork prior to installation. It is expected that the approved artwork will be installed as-approved during the event.