Are you an artist who wants to add a splash of color to Dutchtown Common? Here is your chance! Dutchtown Main Streets is seeking artists to design and paint a mural on the storage container located on Alabama Avenue in Dutchtown Common next to the VAL Community Garden.

What Should the Design Include?

Volunteers canvassed neighbors near the site to find out what they’d like to see. Here’s what they said:

  • The design should emphasize neighborhood pride, with a happy and playful quality.
  • The design should connect to Dutchtown, particularly the VAL Garden, neighborhood life, neighbors, nature, and culture.
  • Words need not be included in the design, but if they are, words should be in both English and Spanish.
  • The design should build on the growing sense of progress and neighborhood ownership.

The design will be painted on the north-facing side of the container. The container wall to be painted is 20 feet wide by 8.5 feet tall.

How Will the Design Be Selected?

Volunteers from Dutchtown Main Streets’ Design Committee will review submitted designs against the criteria below. Each item is scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with a total possible score of 30. Community is at the core of the scoring rubric, with 20 of the possible points relating to alignment with the Dutchtown community.

Community Voice and Alignment: Does the proposal clearly respond to what residents told us? For this project, the strongest themes are neighborhood pride and a happy, playful feeling.

Connection to Dutchtown and Place: Does the work feel connected to Dutchtown, the community garden, neighborhood life, people, history, nature, culture, or another recognizable part of the area?It should feel like it belongs here rather than being artwork that could be placed anywhere.

Community Pride and Belonging: Is the artwork likely to make residents feel good about the neighborhood, represented by it, and connected to the space? Does it contribute positively to the VAL Garden and Dutchtown Common?

Community Responsiveness: Does the artist demonstrate that they understand this is a community project and are willing to respond to community input rather than treating the site solely as a canvas for individual expression?

Artistic Strength: Is the concept visually clear, creative, engaging, and well-designed for a public-facing space?

Feasibility and Execution: Can the concept reasonably be completed on the shipping container within the project timeline, budget, materials, and physical conditions of the site?

How Do I Submit My Design?

Please email your draft design sketches to design@dutchtownstl.org in PDF, JPEG, or PNG format, along with any relevant notes or statements. Submit sketches by Saturday, September 26th, 2026 at 5pm. Volunteers will review and score submissions and announce their selection at the end of September.

What Happens When the Design Is Selected?

The artist who creates the selected design will receive a $500 stipend allocated specifically for materials, plus a $1,000 stipend for time, talent, and additional materials. Paint and other materials must be exterior-grade and durable to minimize the need for ongoing maintenance.

At the artist’s discretion, Dutchtown Main Streets will organize a community painting day and invite neighbors to help paint the design. However, if the artist prefers to work on their own, that is also acceptable. The installation timeline will depend on the artist’s preference.

Join the Dutchtown Main Streets Design Committee!

Are you interested in bringing more public art to Dutchtown? Join our Design Committee! The committee focuses on enhancing public spaces through art, beautification, and preservation. Share your time and talents to help make Dutchtown a more vibrant and thriving neighborhood for everyone!

To find out more, attend a Design Committee meeting on the first Tuesday of every month at 6pm at Thomas Dunn Learning Center, or send a message to design@dutchtownstl.org.