SUNNY DAYZ FAQ’s

Who is eligible to paint in the 2025 event? 

  • Artists 18 years of age or older.

  • Preference is given to artists who identify as female or a gender minority.

    • The term "gender minority" refers to individuals whose gender identity, expression, or experiences differ from the majority's normative expectations often based on binary concepts of gender (male and female). Examples of gender minorities include transgender, non-binary, gender-fluid, and/or Two-Spirit people. Gender minorities often face discrimination, marginalization, and limited access to resources, healthcare, and legal protections.

When do applications open/close?

  • Applications to be a 2025 muralist will open December 9th, 2024 and close on December 23rd, 2024.

  • Stage performer, food truck, and vendor applications will open in 2025, specific date tba.

  • Applications for our Teen Mentorship Program will open in 2025, specific date tba.

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

  • Yes, for international artists, it is the artist’s responsibility to determine they have the proper vises and/or permissions.

    ***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 $12.50/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 $12.50/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 in the muralist application?

  • 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, instead 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 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.

Where is this festival going to be located?

THE CALLE DOS CINCO HISTORIC CAPITOL HILL DISTRICT IN OKLAHOMA CITY!

May 31st, 2025 - you should probably be there or risk suffering from severe fomo :)