San Luis Obispo has issued a Request for Proposals to add art to up to 10 public utility boxes in the city.
The Box Art Program is accepting submissions from local artists and creative groups through June 10.
“Utility boxes throughout our community have been serving as canvases for original art pieces for years,” says Amanda Grieshop, the city’s public art coordinator. “Initially, the idea was to prevent graffiti in the downtown core, but the program became so popular that it quickly grew. Now, we’re looking to spruce up some of the canvases with new art.”
The program is open to individual artists, a team of artists or community groups with a designated lead artist who have the vision and skills required to complete the project to the highest standards of innovation and technical expertise. Qualifying applicants must reside in San Luis Obispo County.
The Box Art Program, which began in 2010, now has 65 public utility boxes throughout the city painted with original artwork. This time around, however, selected artwork will be printed onto vinyl wraps covering the utility boxes, so any media which can be photographed and digitized or scanned and digitized can be used to create the design. Photography, sculpture, fabric arts, mixed media collage—any digitized design—is welcome.