Sumner Cultural Arts Commission
Deadline: October 15, 2023Call Summary

The City of Sumner Cultural Arts Commission is inviting artists to design artworks that can be reproduced as a vinyl wrap and applied to utility boxes within the City of Sumner. This opportunity is open to visual artists working in any medium as long as the final product can be translated and digitally reproduced on a 2-dimensional vinyl wrap. This project is designed to enhance the public realm by adding works of art to utilitarian surfaces that are often targeted by vandalism. The wrapped boxes are intended to enhance community identity, turn ordinary spaces into community landmarks, and promote dialogue and diversity through freely accessible art.

Art Opportunity

The Cultural Arts Commission is seeking artists to create artwork designs to be reproduced and printed professionally on heavy-duty vinyl wraps and affixed to utility boxes throughout the City. At this time, specific locations have not yet been chosen. The Cultural Arts Commission aspires to secure additional funding for future endeavors, potentially collaborating with artists not selected for this project, but whose work made a mark.

The theme for this project is “Cultivating Community”. The design will be in the style and medium best determined by the artist but must integrate the front, back, sides, and top of the box to safely capture the interest of those that drive, ride, and walk by. Selected artists will be briefed on the parameters of the project theme and provided with technical assistance to understand the specifications of the wrap.

The utility boxes vary in size from roughly 50” X 30” X 17” to 76” X 44” X 26”.

Award

The selected artist(s) will receive a stipend of $750.00 for their digital work and will receive source recognition on the box. The City will be responsible for printing and installation of the box wraps.

Wrap Design Guidelines

• Designs must be appropriate for display in public spaces and viewing by general audiences;
• Design must not contain any representation of traffic lights, signs, or signals;
• Design should not aim to blend in or mimic the surrounding area;
• Designs should limit blank spaces; and
• Designs cannot include vulgar, profane, prejudice, offensive, or insensitive content.
• Designs cannot include political or religious content; any breach of intellectual property; trademarks; images of illegal activity; advertisements; logos; signage; promotion of any business, organization, individual, or product; or involve the attachment of objects to the boxes.
• Upon applying, artists have the option to opt in to have the City retain applications as part of the City of Sumner artist data base for distributing information about future utility box wraps and public art opportunities.

Selection Criteria

• Artistic quality as exemplified by past work;
• Must be 13 years of age or older;
• Ability to think and work in a scale and with materials that can be translated to the site; and
• Ability to successfully convert original artwork to a digital file for a 2-dimensional surface.
• Closing date is October 15, 2023. The chosen artist will be notified after this date.
  

For questions, please contact Lana Hoover, Community Relations Specialist, at lanah@sumnerwa.gov .