---
title: "Mural"
description: "A painting or applied artwork made directly on a wall, usually at architectural scale: often the most visible and photographed works in a city’s collection."
glossary: "https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary"
source: "https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/mural"
---

# Mural

> A painting or applied artwork made directly on a wall, usually at architectural scale: often the most visible and photographed works in a city’s collection.

Glossary: https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary  
Source: https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/mural

An exterior painted mural lasts roughly a decade: more with good wall
preparation, quality paint, and a protective coating; less on a sun-blasted
south wall or a substrate that traps moisture. That lifespan should be a
line in the commissioning conversation, not a surprise in year eight:
decide up front whether the plan is to maintain, repaint with the artist,
or let the wall retire.

Murals also come with a landlord. Most sit on private walls under license
agreements, so a change of building owner, or a demolition permit, can end
a beloved work with little notice. The programs that manage this well keep
wall agreements on file and their mural inventory current, so nothing
disappears unrecorded.

Related terms: [Street art](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/street-art), [Graffiti](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/graffiti), [Mural festival](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/mural-festival), [Anti-graffiti coating](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/anti-graffiti-coating), [Ghost sign](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/ghost-sign)

## Mentioned in

- [What It Costs to Run a Public Art Guide](https://www.civiccollection.com/blog/what-it-costs-to-run-a-public-art-guide)
- [Ten Ideas for Your Next Public Art Tour](https://www.civiccollection.com/blog/ten-ideas-for-your-next-public-art-tour)
- [What Happens When Public Art Goes Away](https://www.civiccollection.com/blog/what-happens-when-public-art-goes-away)
- [Where Is It, Actually? Pinning Public Art on a Map](https://www.civiccollection.com/blog/where-is-it-actually-pinning-public-art-on-a-map)
- [How to Document Public Art When You Don't Know the Artist](https://www.civiccollection.com/blog/how-to-document-public-art-when-you-don-t-know-the-artist)
- [How to Inventory a Public Art Collection](https://www.civiccollection.com/blog/how-to-inventory-a-public-art-collection)
- [Why the Map Comes First](https://www.civiccollection.com/blog/why-a-map-first-guide)
- [Condition report form](https://www.civiccollection.com/toolkit/condition-report-form)
- [Public art inventory field checklist](https://www.civiccollection.com/toolkit/public-art-inventory-field-checklist)
- [RFP language for procuring a public art guide](https://www.civiccollection.com/toolkit/rfp-language-for-procuring-a-public-art-guide)