Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), with the Loudoun County School Board-appointed Douglass High School Commemorative Committee (DHSCC), seeks submissions for the design, creation, and placement of a mural on the outside wall of the gym adjacent to the basketball court at the Historic Douglass High School. Renovation of the school campus is ongoing, and the identified area for the mural will be in a highly visible location, adjacent to an outdoor basketball court and historic themed community playground nearby. The area provided for the mural is depicted on Exhibits 1-6, located on the last pages of this Call.

Click here for information on the LCPS Douglass High School renovation project.

Project Background:

Douglass High School was built during segregation and was Loudoun County’s first and only black high school from 1941 to 1968 when segregated education ended in the county. The land the school now sits on was purchased by the black community and then conveyed to the Loudoun County School Board so that a school could be built. While LCPS did construct the school, essential items were purchased and donated through the school community’s fundraising efforts and included laboratory, home economics, and band equipment – representing a true testament to the struggle for equal rights in education.

The landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education was decided in 1954 and declared “in the field of public education the doctrine of “separate but equal” has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal” and unconstitutional. Loudoun County did not fully integrate public schools until 1968, when a U.S. Federal Court ordered the County to establish geographic attendance zones regardless of race and fully integrate their schools by the 1968-1969 School Year.

Project Requirements:

The theme of the mural is sports that show action, specifically sports that were played at Douglass High School: football, boys and girls basketball, baseball, golf, track and cheerleading. The mural should be painted on white 6mil ACM (Dibond or equivalent) panels to be affixed to the brick wall. The DiBond panels need to be lightly sanded and primed with latex primer before painting the mural. Completed mural should have a coating for protection against UV and graffiti. Purchase of panels is the responsibility of the Artist. Installation costs and coordination will be provided by LCPS and a local sign company. Artist to be present during installation and to provide any touch up to the mural as needed, particularly where hardware is visible, after installation. Permitting costs will be the responsibility of LCPS and the Loudoun County School Board.

Artist should take into consideration the location next to the basketball court and the pros and cons of utilizing the lower portion of the wall as opposed to the upper area around the windows. Use of the upper portion of the wall will provide greater visibility from the playground and southern end of property and less possibility of damage due to court play.

Artist Eligibility:

This Call is open to all Artists. Emerging Artists and Artist Teams are encouraged to submit a proposal.

Submission Requirements:

• Sketch of proposed artwork
• Cover letter or written statement describing the proposed mural to provide an understanding of the submitted artwork
• Up to three (3) separate visual designs can be submitted by Artist or Artist Team
• Dimensions and location on wall of proposed mural
• Artist resume including contact information, social media pages (e.g., website, Facebook), previous related experience, and sculpture artwork portfolio
• Estimated time to begin and complete the job, including creation and installation
• Type of panel product to be used (i.e. DiBond or other similar quality)
• Size of panels artist will be painting on
• Full budget, including but not limited to design, materials, creation costs and installation assistance. LCPS cannot pay associated travel expenses (e.g., per diem, lodging, mileage) unless the costs are included in the overall proposed project costs of the Artist.
• If selected, Artist will be required to obtain liability insurance. Subcontractors will also be required to obtain liability insurance.
• If selected, Artist consent and conveyance of mural ownership to the Loudoun County School Board.

Please see commission document for full project information and submission instructions.