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Apply for 2026 Traffic Box Art program

The City of Bloomington, in partnership with Downtown Bloomington, Inc., seeks artists and artist teams to design and paint new designs representing native Bloomington flowers, nature and wildlife on traffic boxes in downtown Bloomington. All professional artists and artist teams ages 18 and over are invited to submit proposals.
 

Deadline: Friday, April 24, 11:59PM EST
Artwork budget: $750 artist honorarium; materials and supplies will be paid for by Downtown Bloomington, Inc.
Project Details: Artists are invited to submit proposals for traffic box designs that incorporate the following:

  • Designs should represent Bloomington native flowers, nature or wildlife
  • Designs should be vibrant, colorful, and may be representational or abstract
  • Artworks must adhere to the City’s Art in the Right of Way policy
     

Artist Selection Criteria:
Applicants must demonstrate the following qualifications:

  • Successful, creative, and innovative in comparable projects or potential for new work to be accomplished in the public sphere
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Ability to understand a locale’s sense of place, and design in a context-sensitive manner
  • Openness to collaboration with project team members and partners overseeing this project.
     

Selection Process:
All artists/collaborative artist groups are invited to submit basic renderings of their proposed design along with an outline of their design concept. A selection panel including members of Downtown Bloomington, Inc., the Bloomington Arts Commission and City of Bloomington staff, will review these documents, along with details and images of past work, and a professional resume or Curriculum Vitae.
 

Up to 10 artists/artist teams will be selected and assigned a downtown Bloomington traffic box on which to paint their designs. City of Bloomington and DBI representatives will work with artists/artists teams to fit proposed designs on traffic boxes. The artwork will be painted by selected artists/artist teams in coordination with the City of Bloomington and Downtown Bloomington, Inc.
 

Anticipated Project Timeline

  • Tuesday, March 31st- Call for artists open
  • Friday, April 24th - Call closes
  • Week of May 4th - Selected artists notified
  • Monday, May 11th - Friday, May 29th - Artists collaborate with City and DBI staff to finalize designs
  • Monday, June 1 - Friday, June 12th - Designs painted on traffic boxes
     
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How to apply

  1. Proposed Artwork Design

    • Up to 5 sketches or renderings of the proposed design (Note that your sketches/renderings can be quick and effective in communicating your proposal without fitting necessary sizing requirements). Bloomington traffic box sizing and images for reference.
    • Brief description of design concept

  2. Professional Resume or Curriculum Vitae (2 pages maximum)

    Outline your experience as an artist. In the case of a team application, include resumes for each team member. As an abbreviated resume or curriculum vitae, this should be no more than 2 pages.

  3. Up to three samples of previous art work

    • Provide a set of up to 5 images of the project numbered in priority order of desired presentation. Each image must include the artist's name and title of artwork
    • Provide a 3-5 sentence summary of the artwork design and concept

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