City looking to electrify downtown with utility box art

By Kalinowski, Tim on February 22, 2020.

The City of Lethbridge is looking for artists to help with designs for utility boxes around Galt Gardens and Casa. Herald photo by Ian Martens @IMartensHerald

Tim Kalinowski

Lethbridge Herald

tkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com

The City of Lethbridge Public Art Program and the Heart of Our City committee are putting out a call to local artists to submit design proposals which could be used to add a bit of colour to utility boxes in Galt Gardens and at Casa.

“We are asking artists to come up with ideas to reflect the park, and the nature of the park, as sort of a hub of downtown,” explains Suzanne Lint, chair of committee responsible for the City of Lethbridge’s Public Art Program. “The theme is pretty wide open. Themes around flora and fauna. Things of historical relevance to the park. Play and activity. Just items that engage people and bring a smile to their face.”

Artists will receive a $500 honorarium if their designs are chosen. Six designs will be picked in total for the pilot project. These artworks are temporary with a life span of three to five years.

Lint says not only will the new vinyl wrap designs add beauty and colour to the downtown, they will also act as a graffiti deterrent.

“There is always tagging that happens, and the interesting thing is when you put up public art or a mural or you wrap a box there is a tendency for them to be left alone,” she says.

This competition is open to local artists of all ages, at all levels of their artistic practice. Proposal submissions will be accepted until March 23 with final designs required by June 1. For more information on the submission and evaluation process visit http://www.publicartlethbridge.ca/current-calls.

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