Call for Entry: Transforming Belmont 2022

Belmont Art Association Seeks Designs for “Transforming Belmont” Public Art Project 2022

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. This program is also supported by the generosity of local realtor, Anne Mahon.

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 five boxes were painted, shown below:

INFORMATION

Timeline

Applications Available: Saturday, May 28, 2022
Deadline for Submissions: Saturday, June 18, 2022
Design Selection and Approval: Sunday, June 25, 2022
Painting: June 26 – August 27, 2022

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. There is some variation in box size, so artists may need to modify their designs once they are assigned a specific box to paint. Designs must be submitted using the actual colors and designs the artists plan to use. The Selection Committee must be able to visualize the final 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, unless the artist is specifically submitting a design for the box at the intersection of Pleasant and Leonard Streets, which has only one wide side visible. This box does not need to have a design for the back side, but the back should be painted the background color and varnished. *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.

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, and Belmont’s 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

Three selected artists (or teams) will each be awarded a stipend of $500.00 to execute the painted design on the assigned transformer box. A fourth artist will receive a $400.00 stipend for a box that is too close to an adjacent fence to paint the back. These funds must be used to purchase the specific materials listed below. Winning artists will receive a check upon full completion of their project.

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, cleaning, and priming thoroughly with two coats of thinned gesso and then an opaque coat of background color below the layer of the design. The background should not be pure white, since it tends to yellow over time. Note: Paint markers should only be used sparingly; they have been problematic. Paint should be high quality, lightfast exterior acrylics, with the finished artwork protected by an isolation coat of clear acrylic gloss medium, and finally 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 either Belmont Cultural Council or Anne Mahon sponsorship, depending on location. Boxes should be completed by August 27, 2022.

Box Locations

Boxes Sponsored by Belmont Cultural Council

Boxes Sponsored by Anne Mahon

Download the Documents

Here are the links for all the documents you need to submit an entry:

TransformingBelmont-2022-Call-for-Entries

TransformingBelmont-2022-EntryForm

TransformingBelmont-2022-UtilityBoxDesignTemplate

Sponsorships

*Sponsorship of the Belmont Art Association, the Belmont Cultural Council and Anne Mahon 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.

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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.

This program is also supported in part by the generosity of local realtor, Anne Mahon.