Downtown Castle Rock Traffic Signal Box Art: Call for Designs

The Town of Castle Rock Public Art Commission invites artists to submit original designs for vinyl wraps on five traffic signal boxes in Downtown Castle Rock, Colorado. Designs may reflect Castle Rock’s history, identity, landscape, character, or lifestyle, or interpret the community through fun, imaginative, contemporary, or unexpected concepts. Artists may submit up to five designs and may indicate a preferred location. Each selected design will receive a $1,000 artist award. The Town will coordinate and pay for vinyl fabrication and installation.

The Town of Castle Rock Public Art Commission invites artists to submit original artwork for vinyl installation on five traffic signal boxes located throughout Downtown Castle Rock, Colorado. By transforming everyday infrastructure into public art, the project will enhance the pedestrian experience, add visual interest to key intersections, and contribute to the character and vibrancy of the Downtown District.

Artists are invited to create original designs that reflect the spirit of Castle Rock. Artists may draw inspiration from the community’s history, identity, landscape, character, lifestyle, or sense of place, or explore Castle Rock through fun, imaginative, contemporary, or unexpected concepts. Artists are encouraged to interpret Castle Rock through their own creative vision and artistic style.

The project includes four standard cabinets and one taller cabinet at the following locations:

Standard traffic signal cabinets:

• Plum Creek Parkway and Wilcox Street — southeast corner
• Third Street and Wilcox Street — northwest corner
• Fifth Street and Wilcox Street — southeast corner
• Sixth Street and Wilcox Street — northeast corner

These cabinets are approximately 32 to 33 inches wide, 24 inches deep, and 64 inches high. Upper caps may extend the total height to approximately 67 inches.

Tall cabinet:

• Fifth Street and Perry Street — southeast corner

This cabinet is approximately 33.5 inches wide, 24.25 inches deep, and 72 to 74.5 inches high. Its upper cap extends the total height to approximately 77.5 inches.

Some cabinets include attached or adjacent service equipment, and certain surfaces may be partially obstructed by surrounding site features. Corner locations are provided so applicants may view the cabinets and their surroundings through online street imagery. Site photographs are also included with the call for reference.

All dimensions are approximate and should be used only for conceptual design development. Applicants are not expected to submit production-ready files with their initial applications. Selected artists will receive final templates and production specifications based on measurements confirmed by the Town’s vinyl-wrap vendor. Selected artwork may be adjusted in collaboration with the artist to fit the assigned cabinet and accommodate doors, vents, seams, hinges, handles, locks, identification markings, attached equipment, and other functional features.

Proposals should demonstrate how the artwork will function across the principal visible surfaces of a three-dimensional cabinet. Designs should create a cohesive visual experience when viewed from multiple angles and distances.

Eligible submissions may include newly created designs or existing original two-dimensional artwork that can be successfully adapted for vinyl application. Acceptable media include painting, drawing, illustration, photography, collage, digital artwork, and other two-dimensional media suitable for high-quality digital reproduction.

Artists may submit up to five designs. Each design must be submitted as a separate application. Artists may submit one independent design, multiple independent designs, or a cohesive series intended for multiple locations. Applicants may identify a preferred intersection or submit without a location preference.

The Public Art Commission will consider artists’ stated location preferences but retains final authority to assign selected designs to individual traffic signal boxes. A selected design may be assigned to a different location based on cabinet configuration, visibility, site conditions, the overall combination of selected artworks, other submissions and selections, and additional project considerations.

One design will be selected for each traffic signal box. Each selected design will receive a $1,000 artist award. An artist may be selected for more than one location and may receive up to five awards, for a maximum total of $5,000. The Town will separately coordinate and pay for vinyl fabrication and installation.

Selected artists must be available to collaborate with the Town and vinyl vendor, make reasonable revisions necessary for the assigned site, and provide production-ready digital files that meet the vendor’s specifications. Requirements may include specified dimensions, resolution, color profile, bleed, and file format.

Artists must disclose any use of generative artificial intelligence in the creation of submitted artwork and be prepared to describe how it was used. Artists are responsible for obtaining all rights and permissions necessary for recognizable individuals, copyrighted content, third-party imagery, or other protected material incorporated into a design.

The vinyl wraps are intended as long-term public art installations, with an anticipated lifespan of approximately five to ten years, depending on materials, site conditions, maintenance, and the Town’s operational needs.

Project schedule:

• September 7, 2026 — Application deadline at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time
• Mid-September 2026 — Artist notification
• September and fall 2026 — Contracting, final design coordination, and file preparation
• Fall 2026 — Vinyl fabrication and installation

The project schedule is subject to change. 

Artists may submit one application containing up to five designs. All required materials must be combined into a single PDF document.

Each application must include:

Design titles and artist statement

Provide a title for each proposed design and an artist statement of no more than 250 words describing:

• The concept or inspiration for the proposed design or designs
• How the artwork reflects, responds to, or interprets Castle Rock
• The artist’s preferred intersection for each design, if any
• Whether multiple designs are intended to function as a coordinated series

Artists may indicate that a design should be considered for any location. Location preferences will be considered but are not guaranteed. The Public Art Commission retains final authority to assign selected designs to individual traffic signal boxes.

Conceptual design proposal

Provide a visual representation of each proposed design across the principal visible surfaces of a traffic signal cabinet. Each design may be presented as a single composite layout or as multiple images showing the different cabinet faces.

Proposals may feature newly created artwork or existing original two-dimensional artwork adapted for the cabinets. Each layout should communicate the overall design and demonstrate how the imagery relates across multiple surfaces.

Applicants may use the provided site photographs and approximate dimensions to prepare their proposals. Precise placement around doors, vents, hinges, handles, locks, labels, seams, and attached equipment is not required. Applicants are not expected to submit production-ready files at this stage.

Artist résumé

Provide a current résumé or curriculum vitae describing relevant professional, creative, or educational experience. Artist teams may combine team members’ résumés into one document or include multiple résumés within the single application PDF. Prior public art experience is not required.

This opportunity is open nationally to individual artists and artist teams who are legally authorized to work and receive payment in the United States. Selected artists must be able to enter into an agreement with the Town of Castle Rock and provide required tax documentation, including a completed IRS Form W-9.

Artists working in painting, drawing, illustration, photography, collage, digital art, graphic design, and other two-dimensional media suitable for high-quality digital reproduction are eligible to apply. Applicants may propose newly created artwork or existing original artwork that can be adapted for installation as a vinyl wrap.

Prior public art experience is not required. Artists must, however, be able to collaborate with the Town and vinyl vendor, adapt the selected artwork to the assigned cabinet, complete reasonable revisions, and provide production-ready digital files that meet the vendor’s specifications.

Each submitted design must:

• Be original to the submitting artist or artist team
• Be suitable for high-quality digital reproduction and vinyl installation
• Be adaptable across the principal visible surfaces of a traffic signal cabinet
• Be appropriate for public display and viewing by audiences of all ages
• Respond to the project goals and the conditions of the assigned site
• Be free of advertising, business names, commercial branding, product promotion, and campaign messaging
• Exclude content involving nudity, graphic violence, illegal drugs, or other imagery the Town determines is inappropriate for the location
• Avoid political endorsements, campaign content, or advocacy for or against a political candidate, party, or ballot issue

Artists are responsible for obtaining all necessary rights, licenses, releases, and permissions for copyrighted material, third-party imagery, and recognizable individuals included in a proposed design.

Use of generative artificial intelligence does not automatically make an application ineligible, but all generative AI use must be disclosed accurately in the application.

Applications are welcome from qualified artists without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or other status protected by applicable law.