City of San Luis Obispo accepting submissions for Box Art program

Ready to revamp, the City of San Luis Obispo is accepting submissions for its upcoming Box Art program.

Anyone can spot the public utility boxes across town, a touch of color and character, thanks to submissions from local artists and creative groups. On May 6, a request for proposals will be issued on the City of San Luis Obispo website, here . Design submissions will be accepted until June 10.

“Utility boxes throughout our community have been serving as ‘canvases’ for original art pieces for years. Initially, the idea was to prevent graffiti in the downtown core, but the program became so popular that it quickly grew. Now, we’re looking to spruce up some of the canvases with new art.”

The program is open to individual artists, teams or community groups with artistic expertise and vision; qualifying applicants, however, must reside in San Luis Obispo. Artwork will be looked over by an Art Selection Jury while the Community Development Director will give final approval.

Beginning in 2010, the Box Art program was founded as a means of discouraging graffiti and highlighting the curb appeal while bringing out the city's charm. 65 public city boxes can already be spotted. 10 more will be covered this summer, and the rest will be completed in October. Rather than painting directly onto boxes, new artwork will be printed onto vinyl wraps and act as covers. This new method allows for more kinds of media: photography, sculpture, fabric arts, mixed media collage and digitized design.