Centennial seeks artists for tra c box art

BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Artists and art a cionados alike have an opportunity to leave a lasting mark on the City of Centennial through a tra c box art wrap project that is seeking jurors and artists. e City of Centennial and the Centennial Arts and Cultural Foundation have partnered to bring artwork to 18 tra c control boxes in the city.

“We selected three locations in the city, and each one has six boxes,” said Mayor Stephanie Piko who is the president of the foundation, a nonpro t established in 2021 by Piko, Councilmember Tammy Maurer and former Councilmember Kathy Turley.

e idea is for artists to create a single theme expressed across the six boxes in each location, Piko explained, adding that the artwork should be unique to that speci c area.

ere are three separate $2,000 commissions for the selected artists. She noted the Centennial Rotary Club donated $3,000 to the foundation and the city contributed $3,000 for the commissions.

A maximum of three artists will be selected, one artist per site, though it is possible that one artist can be selected to do the artwork for all three locations, Piko said. e art wraps should be installed by the end of the year. e foundation’s role is to integrate the public process into the art wrap project and allow citizens to have input on the public art, she said. a marker of Centennial.

Artists do not have to be a Centennial resident to apply, but they will get a preference point in the judging process if they are, Piko said. To be considered, artists must apply by May 14 and pay an application fee of $10. Young people, including schools and art clubs, are highly encouraged to apply.

“And artists have an opportunity to not only submit the art that they want for the particular locations, but they can also put in other portfolio work just so that people can see, kind of, their history of their work,” Piko said.

Jurors will have about two weeks to review the artwork, likely from the end of May through the beginning of June, she said. e goal is to select the nal artwork in July and announce the selections at the annual Centennial Under the Stars event.

“ e city (is) paying for the actual wraps, so that was budgeted by council for the last couple of years as a consistent program in order to bring art into some of our public infrastructure,” Piko said.

“ e tra c box program o ers an opportunity to spread art throughout the entire community at a rela- everybody that same shared experience, really, across Centennial,” she community together.” ose interested in learning more about the project and how to apply can visit centennial-art.org.