Call for Artists: Traffic Box Art Wrap Project in Washington State

The city of College Place in Washington state calls for artists to help transform eight designated traffic utility boxes on College Avenue into public artworks representative of the Walla Walla Valley and its character.

The eight artwork/designs selected will be digitally printed on weather-resistant vinyl wraps and installed on the traffic utility box cabinets. The city says the objective is to infuse art on an otherwise utilitarian surface to discourage graffiti and beautify streets in College Place.

College Place is partnering with a new member of the community P1FCU Credit Union to provide funding for the program. ArtWalla, a local non-profit arts alliance, administers the call to artists and will help with the jury process and project management.

Each selected artist will receive $350 to complete the artwork for one box. This call is open until 4:30 p.m. on July 31. There will be no extensions or waivers of deadlines.

Artists or teams must live in the Walla Walla Valley, including Walla Walla County, Columbia County, and Northern Umatilla County. Submitted designs must be original works of the artist and in compliance with all existing copyright laws.

There is no specific theme to this call, allowing for open interpretation and creativity, but the spirit of the art should represent the cultural atmosphere of the Walla Walla Valley.

All submissions will be evaluated by a jury committee, including representatives from the College Place Parks Board, ArtWalla representatives, and selected College Place community members. The general public will have a chance to see the submissions at a public location and to vote for their favorites.

The panel will use the following criteria to select the winners:

• Artistic merit and graphic strength of the proposed design
• Contribution to the aesthetic and cultural atmosphere of Walla Walla County and College Place
• Appropriateness of subject and concept for a public space
• The ability of the design to translate to a large-format print for a traffic box wrap
• Completeness of the application submittal as outlined in this announcement
• Professional references
• Input from the public viewing process

The jury process takes place Aug. 1-15, the Parks & Board City Council will present the finalists on Aug. 15, and selected artists will receive a notification of the results on Aug. 16. 

For more information on guidelines, timeline, and submission instructions, click here.