The Redmond Arts Commission requests proposals from artists with experience painting family-friendly, public murals for paintings on a building at Redmond’s Idylwood Beach Park, 3650 West Lake Sammamish Pkwy NE.

There are three walls on one building, suitable for murals. One wall size is 24 feet by eight feet and the other walls are 27 feet by eight feet. The walls are concrete and have small pits in the surface.

The murals are meant to last a few years and to have graffiti protection. They do not need to cover the complete wall. They would be considered temporary art in the City of Redmond’s visual arts collection and could be removed if damaged, or in the case of renovations to the park.

Overview and history

Idylwood Beach Park includes a beach staffed with lifeguards in the summer, playground area, natural stream, and large picnic shelter. Native plants included in the recent stream restoration include Douglas fir, Western hemlock, Trillium, Salal, Evergreen, Huckleberry and more. Eagles perch on beach-side trees while families picnic, swim, and play nearby.

Idylwood Beach Park has a long tradition as a popular spot for recreation. In the 1920s, Lake Sammamish was a popular summer vacation spot for families escaping Seattle’s urban grit. In 1927, the road between Issaquah and the west side of the lake was graded and paved, offering easier access to the ever-increasing number of area residents who owned a car. This stimulated the development of many small vacation cottage rental businesses.

Gateway Grove, which is now part of the park, was first developed in 1927 by the Charles Enis family, who built a dozen cottages as rental properties, along with a boathouse, swimming dock

and playground. The property changed hands several times in the following years, and in 1951, it was sold to Chandler and Myrtle Pickering, who spruced up the resort with a 40-foot slide and a high-diving board.

King County purchased Gateway Grove and its neighboring resort, Idylwood Beach, in 1969. The two properties were combined to form Idylwood Beach Park, which King County gave to the City of Redmond in 1994.

Calling for artists

Artists who are interested in the mural projects at Idylwood Beach Park should submit proposals, including a resume, images of past outdoor murals and a budget and timeline, to the Redmond Arts Commission by Oct. 15.

Selected artists will be asked to meet and tour the park. They will receive a $500 stipend to complete designs for the building. From those designs, the Arts Commission will select one or more artists to complete the project. The commission reserves the right to make no selections.

Selected artists will be notified by Nov. 15, 2009 and work will be completed by April 2010.

For questions about the murals, contact Redmond Arts Administrator Mary Yelanjian at (425) 556-2316 or myelanjian@redmond.gov.

For questions about the beach at Idylwood Park, contact Cindy Johnson of Redmond Parks and Recreation at (425) 556-2393 or cjohnson@redmond.gov.

Artists’ proposals can be delivered to the fourth floor of Redmond City Hall, 15670 NE 85th St. between 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

They may also be mailed to City of Redmond Parks and Recreation, Arts Commission, P.O. Box 97010, MS:4NPK, Redmond, WA 98073-9710.