Submission Deadline: Thursday, June 18, 11:59 pm
The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville, Urban Green Lab & Turnip Truck Natural Market are thrilled to announce a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for an artist to paint a dynamic mural for Urban Green Lab’s Waste Less™ Mural Project, a mural series across Nashville dedicated to raising visibility about the issue of food waste.
About the Mural
The fifth mural in the Waste Less™ Mural Project will be installed at Turnip Truck Natural Market at 701 Woodland Street in East Nashville. It will declare “Food is What Brings Us Together. Waste Less.” to inspire shoppers, visitors, and neighbors to reduce food waste. This text must be prominently included in the final mural design. The Waste Less™ Mural Project is an ongoing public art initiative by Urban Green Lab that uses bold, community-rooted imagery to shift everyday behavior around food waste. Each mural is a collaboration between Urban Green Lab, Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville, local artists, and community partners committed to making food sustainability accessible and visible for all Nashvillians.
This final artwork must integrate the following in its design:
- The phrase “Food is What Brings Us Together. Waste Less.”
- The year 2001 in recognition of Turnip Truck Natural Market’s founding year
- Artist’s signature
- The Urban Green Lab logo and URL
How to Apply
Interested artists must be local to Nashville or reside in the Greater Nashville* region.
To be considered, interested artists should submit 3–5 representative works from their existing portfolio, their CV/resume, an artist statement, and a short narrative regarding their idea(s) for the mural and its significance and relation to the theme of “Food is What Brings Us Together. Waste Less.”
Selection Process
Submissions will be evaluated by a diverse Selection Committee (“The Committee”) composed of stakeholders from Urban Green Lab, East Park Community Center, Jerry’s Artarama, Nashville Public Library, Radical Rabbit, Red Arrow Gallery, Tennessee Craft, and the local creative community. The Selection Committee will select 3 finalists to expand upon their initial ideas and submit full proposals for review — including a representative mock-up of the proposed mural design. Upon completion and submission of their Draft Proposals, each finalist will be awarded a stipend of $250 for their work.
The Selection Committee will select one mural design from the three Draft Proposals. The selected artist will receive a final mural stipend of $4,800, in addition to the $250 finalist stipend awarded upon submission of their Draft Proposal, for a total compensation of $5,050. The final mural stipend will be paid with 25% upfront and 75% upon completion of the mural. Artists will also be reimbursed up to $500 for supplies upon mural completion and receipt of supporting documentation.
Mural Installation
Timeframe: The selected artist will have from August 11 to October 4, 2026, to complete the mural. The deadline is not flexible due to grant funding restrictions.
Mural size: 20 feet x 8 feet (160 sq. ft.)
Surface: Enamel-coated, insulated, corrugated metal facade. Gaps where two panels connect are approximately ¼”, and the grooves on the individual panels themselves are 2 ¼”. Exterior wall.
Theme: Food is What Brings Us Together. Waste Less. (This text must be prominently included in the final mural design)
Location: The exterior wall of Turnip Truck Natural Market located at 701 Woodland Street in East Nashville, facing Woodland Street.
About Urban Green Lab
Urban Green Lab is a Nashville-based nonprofit dedicated to sustainability education and behavior change around sustainable living, especially focused on reducing food waste. Since 2009, UGL has worked with individuals, schools, businesses, and communities across Middle Tennessee to make sustainable habits accessible, practical, and inspiring. Through hands-on programming, community partnerships, and public-facing initiatives like the Waste Less™ Mural Project, Urban Green Lab envisions a Nashville where living sustainably is part of everyday life. Learn more about Urban Green Lab here.
About Turnip Truck Natural Market
With 25 years of service, Turnip Truck Natural Market has established itself as a neighborhood pillar, bridging the gap between local, farm-fresh foods and Nashville families. Turnip Truck is a beacon for small businesses, not only leading by example, but offering support and opportunity for local businesses and farmers alike. Learn more about the local grocer here.
Rights & Licenses
The artist maintains all rights and grants a perpetual, limited license to the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville, Urban Green Lab, Turnip Truck Natural Market, and their subsidiaries and agents to reproduce the mural, and use any photographs containing the mural, for non-commercial purposes related to promoting, educating, and informing the public about the Urban Green Lab, the Nashville Food Waste Initiative, the Waste Less Mural Series and Cohort, and other programs of Urban Green Lab, the Arts & Business Council, or Turnip Truck Natural Market. Non-commercial use includes, but is not limited to, display on websites and social media, printed cards, brochures, signage, and other collateral that are distributed at no charge and do not generate direct revenue for any party.
Urban Green Lab additionally holds a right of first refusal on commercial licensing of the mural artwork. Should the artist receive a bona fide offer from any third party to license the artwork for commercial reproduction, Urban Green Lab must be notified in writing and given 30 days to elect to match that offer. If Urban Green Lab declines or does not respond within 30 days, the artist may proceed with the third party. Urban Green Lab may exercise a commercial license at any time by providing written notice to the artist and executing a separate commercial license agreement.
UGL Statement on AI
Urban Green Lab does not permit the use of artificial intelligence tools for the generation or fabrication of visual art submitted for the Waste Less™ Mural Project. All artwork must be original and created by the applying artist. This includes AI image generators such as Midjourney, DALL-E, Adobe Firefly, and similar platforms.
That said, we recognize that digital tools are a natural part of many artists' creative workflows. The use of software and technology platforms for design, composition, color exploration, or image refinement — such as Adobe Creative Suite, Procreate, or similar applications — is fully permitted, provided the creative vision and execution remain entirely the artist's own.
This policy is subject to change. Ultimate approval of generative AI usage is subject to the discretion of Urban Green Lab. Urban Green Lab reserves the right to refuse any submitted artwork that appears to have been generated or substantially produced using AI tools outside the bounds of this policy.
Questions?
The Arts & Business Council will host an Online Interest Session and Q&A on Wednesday, May 27 from 6-7 pm. During this Interest Session, representatives will provide insights into the submission process and answer questions directly from attendees. Register for free at https://events.humanitix.com/mural-interest-2026.
Otherwise, questions may be directed to info@abcnashville.org.
*The Greater Nashville region includes 10 counties in Middle Tennessee: Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Maury, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, and Wilson counties.