Art Outside the Box - Utility Box Public Art Project

The City of Margate invites artists to create artwork for utility boxes throughout the city. Using Margate as inspiration, artists are asked to showcase the city's assets, including its waterways, green spaces, and people. Submitted ideas must have a Margate-inspired element. Photography will not be accepted.

Artwork must cover the template area and be clearly visible from a distance. Utility boxes vary in size, and designs must be scalable to different box dimensions. Artwork will be digitally scanned and printed to adhesive film for application to the boxes. Designs are subject to restrictions set by Broward County and the Florida Department of Transportation, prohibiting imagery or text related to tobacco, alcohol, demeaning language, profanity, firearms, violence, unlawful goods or services, obscenity, nudity, and other specified content. Designs containing words likely to interfere with traffic (such as "stop," "drive," or "danger") are not permitted.

Eligible artists must reside in Broward, Palm Beach, or Miami-Dade Counties, with preference given to Margate residents. Artists must be professional visual artists recognized by critics and peers as practitioners of serious intent and ability. The artist fee is not to exceed $300 per art piece, with a maximum of three pieces submitted per artist. Applications must include a completed application form, artist's resume, 5-10 digital images of previous work, and a detailed preliminary sketch of the proposed design. Selection will be based on alignment with city goals, appropriateness to location, artist qualifications, artwork quality, and representation of the project description. The MCRA decision is final.