Buckeye is asking local artists to make its traffic boxes their canvas.
City staff seeks eight Arizona-based artists to design artwork on four metal cabinets along Yuma Road, two on Miller Road and two on Watson Road. All Arizona 2-D artists are encouraged to apply before Oct. 31.
“If you are a 2-D artist, we are interested in seeing your designs,” Ilana Lydia Holden, Buckeye’s arts and culture manager.
“It doesn’t matter so much what your past has held for you, whether you’ve done traffic boxes before or if this would be the first time, as long as you are an artist who has five pieces of work that could be shown in a portfolio.”
Those selected will be awarded $1,200 for the design, which should be centered around the theme of desert Sonoran wildlife and landscapes at sunrise or sunset. The design does not need to be completed before applying. The work must be created with input from the community near the traffic cabinet location, have uplifting and positive content that does not distract or impair the ability of drivers and be appropriate for all ages and demographics. There can be no text on the artwork. Full guidelines for the program can be found on the city’s website.
The program has been implemented in other parts of the West Valley, like Goodyear, Tolleson and Avondale. In Chandler, 16 Valley artists colored 31 boxes with their art in 2022.
According to research, the painted boxes seem to discourage graffiti vandalism. The laminate will protect the artwork from graffiti artists.
For the Buckeye program, artists must create an artwork design with a title and description, and provide their bio and signature for communications. They must attend two meetings as well: a logistical meeting about the process and an Arts & Culture Subcommittee of the Community Services Advisory Board meeting for the presentation of the design. A proposal must be submitted detailing the goals of engagements and the methods that will be used to gather community input.
“We want it to be wanted. There’s nothing worse than art that is unwanted. This is a way to make sure that everyone’s on the same page,” Holden said.
Each artist who Buckeye selects for this program will be compensated for their original design and community engagement, the city said, ensuring that the project will reflect local talent. The art will be reproduced on vinyl and installed on the traffic boxes by the city. The format of the final artwork must cover three sides of a traffic cabinet, at 77 inches high x 44 inches wide x 26 inches deep. Any 2-D artwork designs must be converted to a high-quality digital format for the vinyl wrapping.