Website: http://oldsouthside.org/neighborhood-association/
317-902-3006
Indianapolis, IN, 46225
The Old Southside Neighborhood in Indianapolis, Indiana, requests applications from artists interested in creating artwork for five traffic signal control boxes on South Meridian St.
COMPENSATION: $500 per box (includes art materials and clearcoat; primer and anti-graffiti coating provided)
ELIGIBILITY: Professional artists living in the U.S.; preference given to artists living in Indiana’s Marion, Morgan, Boone, Hamilton, Hendricks, Hancock, Johnson or Shelby Counties.
DEADLINE: October 30, 2020, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
About the “Streetcorner Canvases” Traffic Signal Box Art Program
The purpose of the traffic signal box art program is to enable Indianapolis’ neighborhoods to express their identity, beautify their streets, and discourage “tagging” vandalism of the neighborhood’s traffic signal control boxes (TSBs). Other purposes are to provide employment opportunities for artists and allow artists the opportunity for personal expression. The process is neighborhood-driven, with the Arts Council of Indianapolis assisting neighborhoods or other citizen groups to ensure aesthetic quality and work with the City to permit the use of the TSBs. Neighborhoods are responsible for maintaining the completed boxes. Art on TSBs can be hand-painted or digitally printed on vinyl wrap and professionally installed by the wrap vendor.
This project is for four hand-painted boxes.
About the Old Southside Neighborhood
The Old Southside is the oldest neighborhood in downtown Indianapolis. We have a rich history and in the mid-1800s had the most numerous and varied nationalities in the city, including Sephardic Jews, German, African-American, Irish, and Appalachian residents. Dr. Susan Hyatt of IUPUI and her students best tell our story through the “Neighborhood of Saturdays” project (see links under “Resources” below).
Artwork Goals and Site Information
The rich history of the Old Southside could be depicted in the traffic signal box artwork, as well as some more contemporary themes as developed by the artist with the neighborhood.
Five boxes will be enhanced with art:
All five boxes may be enhanced by one artist, or up to five different artists may be selected.
Resources
The Neighborhood of Saturdays: Memories of a Multi-Ethnic Community on Indianapolis’ Southside (a long-term project documenting neighborhood history, undertaken by the anthropology department at IUPUI in collaboration with community-based organizations)
Migration to Indianapolis’ Near Southside in the 19th Century (a 2017 essay by IUPUI’s Paul Mullins, published on the blog site “Invisible Indianapolis: Race, Heritage, and Community Memory in the Circle City”)
Two video walking tours created in 2020 by IUPUI student Jacob Watson:
Old Southside Historic District website
Wikipedia entry on the Old Southside Neighborhood
Downtown Indy’s entry on the Old Southside Neighborhood
Project Timeline
This timeline represents the project as it now appears. Changes may be necessary as the project progresses.
Selection Process
The neighborhood’s Art Committee will review artists’ qualifications and select the artists to commission to create TSB artwork. Artists may be selected to complete more than one box. Artists will then enter into a commissioning agreement with the neighborhood and will have from four to eight weeks to create a design using a scaled template of the box surfaces. The Art Committee, along with representation from the Arts Council, will review and approve designs prior to fabrication.
Note: while this is the intended selection process, in the event of an insufficient number of qualified applicants the neighborhood reserves the right to change the process to a Request for Proposals, to invite an artist to propose, or to directly select an artist or artwork; and also reserves the right to cancel the opportunity entirely at any point and for any reason.
Selection Criteria
Finalists will be selected based upon the following criteria:
Compensation
Artists will receive $500 for each box executed. The selected artist(s) is expected to supply paint for the box’s artwork and a clearcoat, but the Art Committee will supply primer and anti-graffiti coating. The artist(s) is expected to provide incidental equipment such as brushes, airbrush, dropcloth, caution tape, personal safety protection, etc. The artist will also be required to provide a warranty for the artwork to include one year of repair related to “inherent vice.”
Application Process
Artists must provide the following information digitally:
All images should be professional quality. If you need a referral to a professional photographer who specializes in working with artists, please email Lindsey Lord at the Arts Council of Indianapolis: llord@indyarts.org
Delivery of Applications
The digital applications must be received by 5:00pm (EDT) on October 30, 2020.
Delivery options:
QUESTIONS? Contact Judith Essex, Old Southside Neighborhood Association, judithessex@icloud.com or 317-902-3006