Murals on buildings in commercial business areas have shown to have the following benefits:

  • Deter graffiti 

  • Build community pride

  • Show building owner cares about community and can lead to patronage

  • Beautification

  • Attract new people to the district (mural walks; tourists)

  • Provide opportunities for promotion of the business and the district (e.g., mural installations are often covered in the media)

  • Become destinations, landmarks and neighborhood identification

The PNA can partner with Portola business property owners in two ways for the installation of a mural.

  1. Private

    You would negotiate privately with a mural artist.

    • You choose artist and mural design

    • Short timeline

    • Out-of-pocket cost to you (average $20-50 square foot)

    • You are in charge of relationship and contract with the artist

    What the PNA can do for you:

    • Refer you to local Portola mural artists

    • Answer some of your questions and refer you to other resources when possible

    • Share best practices

  2. City Funded

    From time to time, the PNA is able to secure city funding for a mural installation.

    • No direct out-of-pocket cost to the business owner

    • 1-2 year process

      • You agree to provide a building wall and sign a commitment agreement with the PNA.

      • The PNA puts out a Request for Proposals (RFP) to artists.

      • The PNA convenes a volunteer jury to judge the submitted proposals based on specific PNA criteria and selects three finalists. Each of these finalists receives a predetermined stipend (e.g.,  $150 in 2019). You are invited to serve on the volunteer jury (one vote) but are free to decline this invitation.

      • The community votes on the three final proposals and the proposal with the highest votes is the finalist.

      • The winning artist is notified.

      • You sign a commitment agreement with the PNA to allow the mural installation and provide general liability insurance for the artist during the mural installation. You and the artist also sign a CAPAVARA agreement [the California Art Preservation Act (Cal. Civ. Code §§987 and 989) (“CAPA”) and (Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990, 17 U.S.C. §§106A and 113(d) (”VARA”)]

      • The proposal, your commitment agreement, and the signed CAPAVARA agreement are sent to the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) for approval. This is a 2-3 month process. It first goes to the Visual Arts Committee (VAC) and, if approved, is then put onto the agenda of the full SFAC as a consent item. Once the SFAC gives consent, it receives a resolution number.

      • Once the SFAC grants a resolution number, you, the artist, and the PNA negotiate and sign a contract detailing the installation (i.e., building owner agreements and responsibilities, artist agreements and responsibilities; PNA agreements and responsibilities). Under city policies, you must provide general liability insurance to the artist during the installation. If you request that the artist also carry insurance, this is written into the agreement.

      • The mural installation begins and ends according to the signed agreement. 

    What the PNA can do for you:

    • Walk you through the process

    • Project manage the mural installation

    • Serve as a facilitator between you and the artist

    • Minimize your day-to-day involvement with the approval process and the mural installation

    • Provide 5 years of maintenance (against graffiti and vandalism) for the mural once it’s installed