Call for Artists!!!
- Jan 28
- 2 min read
City of Chelsea
Office of City Manager Fidel Maltez
Media Contact: Lily Martin
617-487-9763
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2026
City of Chelsea Calling for Artists to Create Chick Corea Mural Under Tobin Bridge
The selected artist or artist team will receive a $12,000 award, inclusive of all project costs including artist fees, materials, insurance, travel, and installation.
CHELSEA, MA—The City of Chelsea invites artists and artist teams to submit proposals for a new public mural beneath the Tobin Bridge on Everett Avenue as part of the New England’s Foundation for the Arts’ 2025 Making It Public Program. The project, titled Keys to Chelsea, will honor world-renowned jazz pianist and composer and Chelsea native Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea, and advances the City’s efforts to revitalize underused public spaces through public art. The deadline to apply is Sunday, March 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
The mural will replace a previously damaged artwork and transform a highly visible underpass into a welcoming civic gateway connecting Chelsea to neighboring communities. The site is especially significant: Chick Corea grew up in a home that once stood adjacent to the mural location, making this project both a tribute and a homecoming.
The call for proposals is open to artists or artist teams ages 18 and older based in the United States. Preference will be given to artists with ties to Chelsea or experience working in immigrant, working-class, or environmental justice communities. Emerging artists are strongly encouraged to apply.
Artists are encouraged to interpret Chick Corea’s legacy through themes of innovation, excellence, cultural pride, and creativity, while reflecting Chelsea’s diverse, immigrant, and working-class identity. Designs may be abstract or symbolic; a literal portrait is not required.
The mural will be installed on a 50-foot-wide by 13-foot-high retaining wall under the Tobin Bridge on Everett Avenue, between Chestnut Street and Walnut Street. The site experiences heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic and serves as a key entry point to the city.
The selected artist or artist team will receive a $12,000 award, inclusive of all project costs including artist fees, materials, insurance, travel, and installation.
Final design and installation are subject to MassDOT review and approval, and the selected artist will enter into a grant agreement with the City of Chelsea.
Applications can be submitted by visiting tinyurl.com/Bridge2Chelsea. Printed applications are also available in the Housing & Community Development Department located at 500 Broadway, Room 101.
Full application details, site images, and project requirements are available at: https://www.chelseaprospers.org/callkeys2chelsea
Questions can be sent to Delia Harrington, Manager of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy for the City of Chelsea at dharrington@chelseama.gov or 617-466-4103.
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