In May 2018, 20 bland utility boxes on Chattanooga's streets were transformed into works of art by professional and high school artists.
Now, River City Co. is looking for artists for what is likely the last call for this particular project: beautifying the streetside utility boxes that protect the wires and switches that make the city's traffic signals, street lights and phones work.
"We do anticipate this to be the final round of ArtSpark," says Amy Donahue, director of marketing and communication for the River City Co., which oversees economic development in downtown Chattanooga.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Hixson High student Sarah Bargerstock's "The Beauty of Electricity" design is seen on the utility box on Chestnut Street across from the Creative Discovery Museum. EPB has completed its second ArtSpark Goes to School challenge, and River City Co. is issuing a second call to professional artists to create designs for remaining utility boxes.Deadline for artists to submit their design proposals is Friday, Jan. 31.
"For the second round, we're expanding across the river to Frazier Avenue and all the way south to Main Street," Donahue says.
Round 2 has expanded to include artists throughout Tennessee, not just in the local area, as well as artists who live in the Thrive counties of Alabama and Georgia, Donahue says, referencing the Thrive Regional Partnership, a River City-led initiative for regional growth. Its footprint includes 16 counties in Northeast Alabama (Jackson and DeKalb), Northwest Georgia (Dade, Walker, Catoosa, Whitfield and Murray) and Southeast Tennessee (Hamilton, Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Rhea, Meigs, McMinn, Bradley and Polk).
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Closeup of Center for Creative Arts student Maya Varner's "Untitled" design.Fourteen cabinets will be covered downtown and another six in surrounding neighborhoods, according to Donahue.
Artists may submit multiple designs for the utility boxes and even designate designs for specific cabinets. A map of locations and photos of the existing boxes, including dimensions, may be viewed at www.artsparkcha.com.
Winners will be announced on March 2, and the winning designs will be installed by May.
EPB has already announced winners of its second annual ArtSpark Goes to School challenge, with designs for five electric transformers selected from submissions by 292 high school art students.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.
Staff file photo / Jed Low with Chattanooga Printing & Design installs Rossville artist Amanda Brazier's "Water and Stone" design on a city utility cabinet on Market Street in February 2019. Brazier's design was chosen in the first ArtSpark contest to beautify bland utility boxes along Chattanooga's streets.