The City of Torrance and its Cultural Arts Commission invite artists to participate in the City’s Utility Box Public Art Pilot Program.
The City and the Commission are seeking artists to showcase their work to beautify utility boxes located throughout Torrance. The goals of the program are to use public art to contribute to the vitality and attractiveness of the City’s streetscapes and bring art to unexpected places. Please read this Program Announcement in its entirety before completing the application.
The public is welcome to send comments to CulturalServices@TorranceCA.Gov.
Once the contractor has completed the vinyl wrapping, a UV/anti-graffiti coating will be applied. The City has contracted for graffiti abatement services that are ready to mitigate any tagging or graffiti that is reported in the City.
This varies based on the artist, utility box, location and design. Once an artwork is scheduled to be installed, a vendor will typically need one day for utility box prep and one day to install the vinyl wrap.
At this time all submitting artists are required to be from California.
If the artwork is vandalized, the City will mitigate the graffiti or other damage to the utility box. The artist is not responsible for repair.
The utility box would be finished with a UV/anti-graffiti coating and should last between 7-10 years. The City reserves the right to remove a utility box public artwork at any time for any reason.
The criteria require the artwork to be appropriate for the entire community to view and appropriate for its location.
Each artist has an idea that has inspired him/her which they create into a rendering and proposal. The rendering is submitted to the Cultural Arts Commission for approval. The rendering is then scaled up to fit the size of the utility box and is applied using a durable vinyl wrap.
Yes, an artist receives a $500.00 stipend for their artwork per utility box design.
Utility Box Sponsors may request a specific artwork be considered with support of their sponsorship, however, the Cultural Arts Commission will not guarantee that the requested artwork will be accepted and may choose any other artwork for the sponsored box at their sole discretion. All Utility Box art for consideration will be subject to the guidelines established in the Call for Artists.
Donations for the utility box public arts pilot project can be made by completing a Sponsorship Form.
The costs associated with utility box public art are being paid for by private sponsorships.