Council thinking outside the box with art project

Meath will soon see colourful artwork on utility boxes around the county, replacing dull grey traffic control boxes.

Meath County Council is adopting a scheme similar to the Dublin Canvas project, which has resulted in vibrant paintings on traffic control boxes and other utilities all across the city.

The main objective of Meath Canvas is to ‘Colour in the County’ and the council has issued a call out to artists to participate in the project, which will see eleven utility boxes across the country transformed into stunning artworks.

Cllr Helen Meyer who proposed the scheme two years ago said she was delighted it is finally coming to fruition.

“Dublin Canvas has done an amazing job filling Dublin with vivid art scenes on their traffic control boxes. I am eager to see this here in Meath.

"It will be great for the entire county. It will brighten up these boxes in eleven locations.

"Meath has such a rich and vibrant history. I envision that history being showcased on the boxes. We have very talented artists throughout Meath, some of whom are involved with Dublin Canvas. This is an opportunity for them to share their talents here in Meath.”

Traffic light control boxes make perfect canvases to showcase community art as they are always located in high footfall, high traffic areas. Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists can enjoy the artwork as they wait for the traffic light to turn green.

The boxes which will be included are located at Johnswood Court, Ashbourne, Rath Cross, Castle Street, Ashbourne, St Declan's Credit Union, Kennedy Road in Navan, the junction of Kennedy Road and Trimgate Street, Timmons Hill, Preston Place and Balmoral in Navan with two located across from Navan fire station.

Artists have complete freedom to draw upon their own creativity but will also pay attention to the distinctive characteristics of each area for inspiration, paying close attention to the surroundings of each box when designing their artwork.

As each of the box locations is quite distinct, it is suggested that artists visit each location to draw inspiration from the immediate environment. Selected artwork imagery will still be owned by the participants.

All artworks are intended to remain in place for a minimum of one year but the average lifespan of each piece is now four and a half years.

Artwork will be selected based on the following criteria: creativity and innovation of design, relevance of the image to the chosen area and ability to work within the guidelines of the project.

Meath Canvas is asking members of the public who are interested in the project to volunteer their time and talent to help brighten up Meath.

There are two options available to help cover costs: Meath Canvas will supply all materials (paints, brushes, PPE, etc.) in a portable pack, plus a payment of €300 to cover travel expenses, food and caffeine or a payment of €375 and participants supply their own materials. For the second option, the materials used must be pre-approved by Meath Canvas.

All traffic signal boxes will be prepared by Meath Canvas with a fresh matt white undercoat before artists begin painting.

Artists and community groups who wish to take part should submit their work to info@dublincanvas.com and visit www.dublincanvas.com to learn more about the project.

Entrants must be 18 years of age or over. Each box will be awarded based on the quality and creativity of the design and the judging panel will consist of local authority representatives.

To date, Dublin Canvas has had a variety of artists from all age groups and all walks of life. Previous artists include accountants, barristers, baristas, construction workers, doctors and engineers and have included artists in all disciplines - animators, graphic designers, illustrators, stencil artists, tattoo artists, signwriters, fine artists and street artists and landscape artists.

- Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme