Carbondale Arts seeks artists to beautify storage facility

By  London Lyle 01/10/2024 Originally published on soprissun.com

Carbondale Arts (CA) has put out a call to artists for a sizable new Carbondale Creative District public art installation, commissioning five murals (ranging in size from 30’ x 9’ to 60’ x 9’) and three sculptures, up to eight feet tall and four feet wide and deep. The artwork will live at the town’s northern gateway, along Highway 133 just north of the Park and Ride.

The installation is expected to be completed in May, and it’s been years in the making. The process was set into motion following the approval of a 590-unit self-storage facility along the highway in December of 2020. The promise of beautiful murals was intended to assuage concerns that the storage facility would become an eyesore. Additional public improvements include a new bike path along Highway 133 between the Park and Ride and crossing signal at Garcia’s Market.

The town approvals included an agreement for the owners to fund the installation of the art pieces and to allocate 2% of the gross rental income fees from the rental of the storage units. Of that 2%, half can be used for any purpose that sales tax revenue can be used for, and the other half is reserved for the maintenance of the public art area. As part of that agreement and approval process, CA was identified as the organization responsible for procuring, installing and maintaining the public art area. In other words, the project is not funded by taxpayer dollars but by the developers.

“Carbondale has long been a testament to the role of the arts in a community,” said Michael Stout, community engagement director at CA. “Our work is to provide continued support to ensure that artists have opportunities to share their work and continue to shape the culture and landscape of our community.”

The Colorado Creative District program is a state program that certifies communities that contribute to the statewide economy through the arts. Carbondale was first certified as a creative district in 2017. Stout added, “Long-term funding of the arts is critical to sustaining the impact of the creative industries in our community.”
There are a number of aspects which the selection committee will take under consideration when selecting artists for the project. The selection committee is made up of community members and representatives of the storage facility. While artists don’t have to be local, one of the criteria is relevance to Carbondale. Muralists will have to start from scratch, however, sculpture artists are invited to submit previous works, so long as they fit the theme.

Muralists can receive up to $6,000 for their work and sculptors up to $7,500. Any artist, or team of artists, over 18 years old is welcome to apply before the Jan. 22 deadline. Additional eligibility details can be found at www.bit.ly/CalltoCarbondaleArtists