CALL TO OJAI ARTISTS

By Sami Zahringer

The City of Ojai Arts Commission is pleased to announce the Paint Box Project, an exciting project open to Ojai Valley artists.

Utility box art is a form of street art in which public utility boxes are painted to provide visual interest and vibrancy, to celebrate public art as something of intrinsic value to our community, and to deter vandalism. It aims to take our heads out of our cell phones and encourage us to notice the world around us anew. Public art is a form of urban poetry which can be contemplated over and over again. It can become come a conversation point and it can become an old friend.

Inspired by similar projects in cities the world over, including Dublin, Ireland and Aukland, New Zealand, as well as numerous cities in California. The Paint Box Project is a limited competition which aims to transform selected City-owned utility boxes into works of art.

The City of Ojai Arts Commission believes strongly in the value of public art and community participation, and works hard to promote the arts in our valley. Public Art Chair, Christine Golden says “The Arts Commission is excited to launch this call to Ojai Valley artists. We expect that the challenge of transforming utility boxes into something site-relevant and creative will result in many creative proposals from artists in the valley.”

To submit a proposal for the Paint Box Project, artists must be residents of the Ojai Valley and be 18 years of age or older. This is a wonderful opportunity for local artists to put their own one-of-a-kind visual stamp on our City.

Paint Box Project proposals will be reviewed by a Public Art Jury, a panel of seven Ojai citizens that comprises Ojai artists and Ojai public art experts. The Jury will recommend finalists to the Arts Commission. The four boxes selected for the Paint Box Project are owned by the City of Ojai. Two boxes, that are adjacent to one another and are considered to be one project, are located within the Libbey Bowl footprint; one box is adjacent to the Libbey Park playground. A fourth box is located on the corner of Ojai Avenue and Ventura. The Public Art Jury will take especial interest in proposals that are relevant to, and enhance, the site where they are located.

Each selected artist will receive compensation for materials plus an honorarium.

Once utility box murals are completed, special, anti-graffiti coating is applied to the box which extends the longevity of the art.

For comprehensive selection criteria, project description, directions on how proposals for

the Paint Box Project should be submitted, and the necessary application forms, artists should visit Ojai City Hall, 401 S. Ventura Street, or visit the Arts Commission website at www.artsojai.org.” Completed proposals and applications must be received at Ojai City Hall by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 23, 2020. Please note that postmarks will not be accepted.