Community Canvases is gearing up to get to work on some of its first public art installations (see history of the project). You might remember that the organization has set its sights on turning as much urban blight into works of art in order to bring added beauty to neighborhoods, while supporting the local art community at the same time. From chessboard art projects, to sprucing up street mechanicals, Community Canvases is on its way to orchestrating artists in a way that has seldom happened in Buffalo.
In order to get the ball rolling, Community Canvases is enlisting artists to get the job done. The organization has posted a Request for Quotation (RFQ) on its website, and is hoping to obtain as many portfolios as possible so that it can narrow down the pack to 10 artists for the first round (artists are paid $300 per site). “We are looking for artists to create work on unconventional canvases that properly reflect the diversity, history and culture of Riverside and Black Rock,” said facilitator James Montour. “With our selection of Tonawanda Street for our first round of infrastructure murals, we hope to give the neighborhood a concentrated burst of inspiration. Along with painted signal boxes, we are in the process of painting murals on trash bins, creating public chess boards with original artwork and are in the planning stage of commissioning the incredibly talented street artists of Buffalo to create inspirational murals throughout T-Street. This is a great opportunity for local artists to showcase their original work for the public to enjoy on a daily basis, while being paid for their talents and efforts.”
*Artists can submit their portfolio to jmontour@communitycanvases.org. Hard copies can also be picked up at the Riverside Review or the Northwest Community Center, room 200.
Photo: Painted transformer boxes from Rochester, Minnesota
Copy of the RFQ: