Mural Fund
East Boston and Lynn · nine walls complete · partners: building owners and city permits
What it is
We pay local painters a fair day rate to make public work, and cover materials, permits and insurance. The artist keeps the design rights. The wall stays.
Why we fund it this way
Public art gets commissioned constantly and paid for rarely — artists are routinely asked to work for exposure on walls owned by people who are not working for exposure. We decided the simplest intervention was to just pay properly and say the rate out loud.
What we got wrong
The first three walls had no maintenance budget, and two were tagged within a month with nothing set aside to restore them. We now hold 8% of each commission for two years of upkeep.
Quarterly breakdown
The full year.
Budget
Where the $16,000 went.
| Line | Detail | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Artist day rates | 11 painters, published rate | $9,900 |
| Materials | Paint, primer, equipment hire | $3,600 |
| Permits and insurance | City and liability | $1,300 |
| Access equipment | Lifts and scaffolding | $900 |
| Maintenance reserve | 8% held for two years | $300 |
| Total | Cost per wall $1,778 | $16,000 |
Materials, permits, access equipment and a fair day rate for the painter. Nine walls that were blank a year ago, and eleven artists who got paid the rate we published.
On location