MOUNT DORA, Fla. – Trashy art or artistic trash? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The city of Mount Dora, once known for a controversy surrounding a “Starry Night” mural on a home, announced Thursday that it is seeking muralists to paint up to four trash compactor enclosures in the downtown area.
“The compactors were recently installed in order to improve and increase the volume of trash collection from local businesses,” city officials said in a news release. “The enclosure murals will transform these functional items into lively pieces of art and beautify the urban streetscape.”
The city said there is no formal design theme.
“It was just a great opportunity. We’ve got some new walls which mean new publicly owned right of ways and new spaces for public art,” Caroline Zegen, the city’s leisure services administrative coordinator said.
Each artist or team will receive a $1,400 commission after the mural has been completed, the city said. Selected artists will be responsible for providing their own supplies and must be available to paint during normal business hours, according to officials.
Up to four artists or teams will be selected to paint a compactor enclosure located at:
- 4th and Alexander Street
- 5th and Baker Street
- 3rd and Donnelly Street
- 4th and Dora Drawdy Way
Artists should submit work samples, a resume, references and design proposals as a single PDF file to publicarts@cityofmountdora.com.
The city said artists will be evaluated based on their professionalism, artistic merit, creativity and realistic expectation of project completion. Previous experience with murals or public art is desirable but not required. Artists who live outside of Mount Dora or Lake County are welcome to apply.
“The goal is to continue to beautify our downtown area and put public art in some unexpected places,” Zegen said.
Submission guidelines and details about the contest can be found online at: cityofmountdora.com.
The deadline for all submissions is 5 p.m. on Friday, March 6.
For more information, call Lisa McDonald at 352-459-3065 or email mcdonaldl@cityofmountdora.com.
In July 2018, Mount Dora Mayor Nick Girone publicly apologized to the owners of the “Starry Night” mural as part of a legal settlement that also stipulates the city pay the couple $15,000.
The settlement comes after a yearlong lawsuit in which Nancy Nemhauser and Ludomir Jastrzebski alleged the city violated their First and 14th Amendment rights by fining them $100 a day for a large mural of Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” that covers the walls of their home on West Sixth Avenue.
“I think if they learned anything from the previous event from the house it’s that the city really has a desire to see more art and they’re trying to make it that happen on a regular basis,” Zegen said.