City of San Marcos Traffic Box Art

The City of San Marcos invites regional artists to apply for a public art project to create original designs for traffic control boxes throughout the city. Selected artists' designs will be digitized and printed on vinyl wraps and installed on the boxes. The Traffic Control Box Art program is designed to enhance the city by adding works of art to the streetscape on surfaces that are often targeted by graffiti. Artwork on traffic signal boxes functions as a form of communication to a moving audience with the goal of creating a safe, inclusive, and interesting urban environment.

Successful proposals will foster community pride and convey the sense of the San Marcos community. Artists should understand that finished works will be on functioning equipment that may need repair or replacement. The anticipated average life of the Traffic Box Art is 5 years. The City of San Marcos reserves the right to replace the artwork at any time and for any reason. Designs should include all visible sides of the traffic signal box and be thoughtful about avoiding large open areas that could invite vandalism.

Honorium: $400. Entry fee: $0.00. Submission deadline: January 27, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time. Design reviews: February 26, 2025. Selection notification: March 5, 2025. Applicants must submit a typed statement briefly explaining their design (one page maximum). Submissions may be new or existing artwork. Digital submissions only: selected designs must be available at full-size resolution of at least 150 dpi in CMYK format (36" x 15" at 600dpi or 21600 x 9000 pixels). For submission and review, art must be submitted at 1800 x 750 pixels (6" x 2.5" at 300dpi). Art fitting smaller boxes attached to one side must be submitted at 350 x 350 pixels (2" x 2" at 300dpi). Files can be submitted in PDF, .jpg, or .tiff format. Each file must be a separate attachment. File naming convention: ArtistName.TrafficBox.1,2,3, etc. Artists may submit more than one design proposal with a statement for each design.