SUNNY DAYZ FAQ’s

Who is eligible to paint in the 2024 event?

Artists 18 years of age or older.
Preference will be given to artists who identify as female or a gender minority.

When do applications open/close?

Applications to be a 2024 muralist open Monday, January 22nd and close Sunday, February 4th at Midnight CST. All Artists will be notified on or by March 3rd.
Stage performer, food truck, and vendor applications will open Monday, February 12th and close Sunday, March 3rd at Midnight CST. All stage/food truck/vendors will be notified on or by March 24th.
Applications for our Teen Mentorship Program will open March 1st and close March 31st at Midnight CST.

Do you accept artists outside of Oklahoma and/or international artists?

Yes!
**please note: due to budgetary constraints, our ability to host international artists is limited.

Do participating mural artists get paid?

Absolutely. We are committed to providing a minimum of $10/sq ft. Many mural festivals severely under pay artists citing exposure as a reason to participate. This not only sets a precedent of it being okay for artists to work for “exposure” or connections, but it more importantly contributes to the inequity surrounding mural arts. We recognize the privilege it takes to be able to take off work, travel, and spend a week painting for minimal compensation if not totally free.

***please note that $10/sq.ft. is currently high for mural festivals, but this is still not near the national average price of commissioning a mural (between $25-40/sq.ft. ) - we hope to continually raise our rate over the years as we find a sustainable model of funding for our nonprofit.

(hey there, if you happen to be a kind-hearted and generous millionaire, billionaire, celebrity, or super hero who believes in the power of public art to unify and strengthen communities and believe that women, non-binary, and trans folks deserve to have their voice not just matter but celebrated, we would LOVE to talk to you)

Do you require artists to submit a concept or rendering?

NO. Artists have creative freedom and are not required to submit sketches or concepts with your application. PLEASE DO NOT submit renderings specific for this event. Approximately one month before the event, we ask artists to submit loose sketches of their proposed murals. We do not edit, nor give unsolicited feedback on design, but rather this step acts as a safeguard, allowing us to anticipate and address any potential deviations from the artist contract guidelines, ensuring a seamless and positive experience for all.

How are your participating artists selected?

Our artist selection process is rigorous and thoughtful. A review panel comprising 10 arts and community professionals meticulously evaluate each application, considering merit and assign points based on various criteria. We aim to showcase a diverse range of artistic styles, including local, national, and international talent, while ensuring 50-70% of our lineup represents local Oklahoma artists.

What do you look for in an application?

Your answer to the “why” question

We look for artists who truly understand and connect to our mission.

Example: low points will be given to answers that have no connection to who Sunny Dayz is or what Sunny Dayz does (i.e. “I want to travel” “I want to gift my art to your community” “I have never painted in Oklahoma before”). We care a lot about passion and potential. We aim to find the talented goobers and tend to steer away from pretentious big egos - we will not stand for anyone belittling any of our artists. (part of the magic is full participation during the week of Sunny Dayz, if an artist has a “too cool” attitude and opts out of everything, it takes away a spot from other artists who would have been genuinely stoked to soak up everything this festival has to offer)

Quality of work

We care A LOT about people’s passion, and want to make sure we curate a good-intentioned and uplifting crew, HOWEVER, we also need to see a cohesive style, high quality previous work examples, and strong sense of direction. This is super important to keep in mind for the “newbie” category. A fantastic newbie application shows clear artistic direction in whatever medium you work in. The newbie application is geared towards artists working in different mediums than public art.

Additionally, please adhere to the submission guidelines (did you upload the correct files, answer questions correctly, skip out any part of the application, etc.)

Diversity

We look for diversity in both artistic style and demographics - we will not have a festival lineup full of artists and art who look the same. This is one of the biggest reasons we encourage applicants who are not selected to continue to apply each year. Every year our applicant pool and selection committee change.