Belmont Art Association Seeks Designs for “Transforming Belmont” Public Art Project 2021
Local artists over age 18 are invited to submit designs to create artwork for four of the town’s utility boxes, used to control traffic lights in town. Winning artists will be responsible for painting their assigned box.
The “Transforming Belmont” Public Art Project is a venture initiated and managed by the Belmont Art Association, a local nonprofit organization championing art and artists in the Belmont area, in cooperation with and approved by the Town of Belmont. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Belmont Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Traffic light control boxes (“Transformer Boxes”) are located at busy intersections and along streets throughout our town. Painting these drab utility boxes brings art out of our homes and studios and into the public; beautifies our environment; adds interest to our commutes and walks; and provides opportunities for members of the community to create. Last year the town’s first three transformer boxes were painted, shown below:
Pleasant and Brighton Streets
by Liz LaManche
Town Hall at Concord and Pleasant Streets
by Liz LaManche
Trapelo Road and Slade Street
by Ian Todreas
INFORMATION
Timeline
Applications Available: Sunday, May 16, 2021
Deadline for submissions: Sunday, June 20, 2021
Design selection and approval: Sunday, June 27, 2021
Painting: June 27 – August 20, 2021
Eligibility and Design Guidelines
Open to local artists over 18, working independently or as a team. Up to four designs per artist or team may be submitted for consideration by the Selection Committee. Artists should use the template below to scale their designs, but they can indicate individual panels and the roof of the box separately instead of fitting them into the template if necessary. The Selection Committee must be able to visualize the appearance of the entire box.
Artists may specify which box location they have in mind for each submitted design. The art should be visible from a distance, so entries should incorporate bold colors and designs. All sides, including the tops of the boxes, must be included in the designs. *Any round meter on the side of a box must not be painted, but the area around it should be included in the design. All entry designs must be original and suitable for viewing by all ages. In addition to design submissions, artists must demonstrate their ability to carry out their proposals by submitting supporting images or links to their other work with their application. A scaled template and application form are included below and are also downloadable as separate .pdf documents
BOX LOCATIONS
SELECTION PROCESS
The Town of Belmont has designated which utility boxes will be painted. The Selection Committee will determine which designs will be used and assign boxes to winning artists. The Selection Committee is comprised of Co-Chairs of the Belmont Art Association, Co-Directors of the Belmont Gallery of Art, Belmont’s Town Administrator, and the Assistant Town Administrator. Criteria used to select artists will be based on demonstrated technical ability and artistic merit, along with appropriate regard for the nature of the space and the audience. The art should enliven the area, beautify the street, and reflect positively on the neighborhood or area where box is located.
ARTIST’S STIPEND
Four selected artists (or teams) will each be awarded a stipend of $750.00 to execute the painted design on the assigned transformer box. These funds must be used to purchase the specific materials listed below. Winning artists will receive an initial check for $400 and a second payment of $350 upon full completion of their project.
*This year we will be asking artists to save their receipts from supply purchases to assist us in budget planning for next year.
ARTIST REPONSIBILITIES
Artists must follow the design approved by the Selection Committee for their assigned utility box. Artist(s) will prepare the surface by sanding, if needed, and priming thoroughly with exterior metal primer. Paint should be high quality, lightfast exterior acrylics, with the finished artwork protected by an isolation coat of clear acrylic gloss medium, and last by a layer of Sherwin-Williams Anti-Graffiti Coating. All sides, including the tops of the boxes, must be painted (a stepladder will probably be required). Artist(s) can sign their boxes and prepare a laminated statement to post nearby which explains their work and which credits the Belmont Art Association and Belmont Cultural Council sponsorship. Boxes must be completed before August 20, 2021.
*Sponsorship of the Belmont Art Association and the Belmont Cultural Council must be noted in all PR materials in addition to the artists’ names.
NOTE: The artwork will be a long-term installation and will become the property of the Town of Belmont.
Download the Documents
Here are the links for all the documents you need to submit an entry:
TransformingBelmont-2021-Call-for-Entries
TransformingBelmont-2021-EntryForm
TransformingBelmont-2021-UtilityBoxDesignTemplate
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Belmont Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass. Cultural Council, a state agency.