Ocala Cultural Arts has issued an open call to artists for the creation of a new “flora and fauna” mural on a water tank whose previous mural was in disrepair.
On Monday, the division announced that it is accepting applications to paint the ground storage tank located at SE 3rd Avenue and SE 5th Street in downtown Ocala.
The new mural will replace the previous mural, Natural Flow, which was painted in 2016 by Eduardo Mendieta, a South Florida-based artist. The mural was deaccessioned during last week’s meeting of the Ocala Municipal Arts Commission.
During last week’s meeting, officials established a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the process of deaccessioning (i.e., officially removing/decommissioning) murals and other works of art across Ocala.
Natural Flow was one of the first three public works of art that was deaccessioned from the city’s collection.
In a deaccession report about the old mural, city staff said the latex-based paint used for the mural, “while safe for the water within the tank,” did not allow the water to “permeate through.”
As a result, maintenance became costly and “repairing/repainting” the artwork would have cost more than 50% of its value, according to city staff.
The new mural will cover the entire tank, which holds a million gallons of the city of Ocala’s drinking water.
“This opportunity is open to visual artists with large mural experience living and residing in Florida,” reads the statement from the division. “Eligible artists can submit one design with the theme of local Marion County flora and fauna.”
For more information on the project, or to apply, visit the City of Ocala Public Art website.