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Submit Your Designs for Utility Box Wraps

The City of Renton is seeking artists to create designs for wrapping utility boxes around the City.  The City plans to commission artwork from one or more artists working in the community. The opportunity is open to visual artists working in any medium, provided the design can be digitally reproduced as a vinyl wrap.

Program Overview

There is currently funding available to cover five utility boxes with art: three in the Sunset Area and one each in Benson Hill and Downtown Renton.  The designs will be printed professionally on heavy-duty vinyl wrap and affixed to utility boxes for everyone to enjoy.

In the Sunset Area, funding will be provided in part through a Port of Seattle economic development grant as part of the “Sunset Shines” marketing campaign to support public art installations and tactical placemaking activities. The City believes in supporting local artists, and in the power of placemaking as a tool for community and economic development.

What are utility boxes and why wrap them?

Utility boxes, also known as traffic signal boxes, are the gray metal cabinets that sit at every signaled intersection in the city. While they are ubiquitous, there’s a good chance you haven’t noticed them. Necessary for controlling the electrical equipment that keeps traffic moving in Renton, the boxes can serve as canvases for highlighting the work of local artists and contributing to the character of the neighborhood.

The City has had success with the wrapping utility boxes in Downtown Renton and is eager to further develop this place-making strategy in our community.

Download the RFQ and submit your designs today!

The deadline to submit art for consideration is March 16, 2018.

Contact Anthony Marris Swann at [email protected] for more information.