Utility Box Wrap Project 2021-22 - City of Auburn, WA

The City of Auburn seeks applications for artwork designs to be reproduced as vinyl wraps and applied to utility boxes throughout Auburn over the next two years. This opportunity is open to visual artists, illustrators, designers, and creative community members residing in Auburn or the surrounding King and Pierce Counties, working in any medium, as long as the final artwork can be translated and digitally reproduced on a 2-dimensional vinyl wrap.

Applicants must live within King or Pierce Counties. The City will select utility box sites in highly visible areas or areas with a history of vandalism. Selected artists will be paid $500 for an approved final artwork design and licensing rights enabling the City to reproduce the design on multiple utility boxes. Designs must be appropriate for public display and suitable for viewing by a general audience. Designs cannot include political or religious content, intellectual property breaches, trademarks, images of illegal activity, advertisements, logos, signage, promotion of any business or product, or involve attachment of objects to boxes. Designs cannot have a predominantly dark background or palette due to heat safety concerns with electrical boxes. All designs are subject to review and approval by Arts Program staff, and the City reserves the right to crop artwork as needed to fit different sized utility boxes. The wraps are intended to last at least 5 years but may be removed at any time at the City's discretion.

Artist designs will be selected based on artistic quality, appropriateness for public utility boxes, ability to translate original artwork to digital format, and ability to relate to multiple types of viewers. Required application materials include a one-page project questionnaire (PDF), artist resume (PDF), and 1-10 work samples (JPEGs). Work samples should show artwork available for this specific opportunity and include title, media, date, dimensions, and brief project description. Deadline for submissions is May 13, 2021 at 10:59 p.m. MDT. Artist selection notification will occur in June 2021. Contact: Allison Hyde, Arts Coordinator at [email protected].