The mission of the Tarpon Springs Public Art Program is to enrich community through art in our surroundings.

Illuminated Art Box Tour!

Click HERE to download the Illuminated Art Boxes 2023 “Call to Artist” Information Flyer

NEW CALL TO ARTISTS FOR 2023 ILLUMINATED ART BOXES AT THE HISTORIC SPONGE DOCKS!

Deadline for submissions: Friday September 29, 2023

The Tarpon Springs Public Art Committee (PAC) is seeking submissions from local artists for our illuminated art boxes located on lamp posts along Dodecanese Blvd. at the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks. There are 40 spaces available in 20 art boxes, with each box featuring two distinct images.

Exhibition and Catalog: The chosen artworks will be exhibited for one year, and will be showcased in our online catalog. Submissions will be accepted during August and September, with selections made in October.

Theme: Our theme is “What Inspires Me About Tarpon Springs.” We prefer images that embody this theme, which could include:

Recognizable locations within and around Tarpon Springs

Nature (land, water, sky, animals, birds, minerals, plants, or humans) evoking the local area

Beach, park, or other settings representing the Tarpon Springs or holiday lifestyle

Abstract works that capture the essence of the aforementioned subjects

Please refer to our current catalog (https://tarponarts.org/public-art/) for examples of successful entries.

Submission Guidelines:

Eligibility: Open to local artists, both recognized and emerging

Medium: Photographs or photographs of artworks in other media (either full artwork or recognizable section)

Orientation: Vertical or horizontal

Format: Square or aspect ratio close to the golden ratio

Limit: Up to 3 submissions per artist; only one image per artist will be selected

Submission Requirements:

Initial submission: Works must be submitted as a digital image and sent to PAC member Graham.Jones@gmail.com. The image files should be WEBP, PNG or JPEG image files (max 2MB), with minimum dimensions of 480 pixels on the shortest side and 96 dpi resolution. Each image should be titled with the artist name and the name of the work. Please also provide your name, email address, postal address, phone number and any art affiliations.

Upon selection: Higher resolution image suitable for printing in a 24-inch square format (minimum 1200 pixels on the shortest side; 300+ dpi resolution and 2000+ pixels preferred, but not exceeding 4MB)

Honorarium and Sales: Selected artists will receive an honorarium of $100 per chosen image. While we do not facilitate sales, artists are encouraged to provide a description of the media, artwork title, contact information, and pricing for the catalog.

Rights and Permissions: Artists grant Tarpon Arts and the Public Art Committee permission to display their artwork in the illuminated art boxes, catalog, and related advertising materials. All other rights remain with the artist. Tarpon Arts, the City of Tarpon Springs, and the Public Art Committee retain ownership of the website, catalog, art boxes, and display materials.

Final selections will be made by PAC: Tuesday, October 10, 2023. Selected artists will be notified via email following the PAC meeting.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and showcasing the diverse talents of our local artists. Good luck!

 

CLICK HERE to view and download the Illuminated Art Box Catalog.

The Illuminated Art Box Gallery at the Historic Sponge Docks Has New Artwork to Enjoy Day and Night!

One of Tarpon Springs’ most popular locations, the historic Sponge Docks, has a new art gallery, but not in the traditional terms. The City of Tarpon Springs has twenty unique solar-powered Illuminated Art Boxes along the Sponge Docks’ Dodecanese Boulevard procured by the City of Tarpon Springs through the Tarpon Springs Public Art Committee (TSPAC). Each box houses two works of original art created by regional artists. In addition to providing inspirational images during the day, the art boxes are illuminated at night providing the viewer with a totally different experience. The art boxes incorporate solar-powered technology that were custom made by Portaboards Enterprises, LLC. The selected artworks are printed by Alan Goniwich of the Tarpon Springs UPS store.

Residents and visitors have enjoyed the unique art gallery over the last two years that is refreshed with new art annually. Following a summer “call to artists”, forty new works of art were selected by the Tarpon Springs Public Art Committee to be installed in the third phase of the outdoor art gallery. The images (of art or photographs) currently displayed are works by the following talented artists: Alexander Boudreau, Amy Fitzgerald, Becca McCoy, Steven Benevides, Beth Ellen Cohen, Betty Stallard, Candy Schultheis, Cindy Kosek, David Sonderman, Denise Cormier Mahoney, Diane V. Radel, Elaine Fanara, Elaine Brown, Elizabeth Indianos, Elizabeth Coachman, Heather Neiman, Leo Salerno, Jana Withers, Jim Scurti, Fritz Johnson, Kathy Detrano, Kyle J. Brown, Lisa Deneka, Ted LoCascio, Maria Bouris, Peggy McCardle, Margaret Modjeski, Patsy Renz, Paul Linder, Roy Lockwood, Sally Riggs Fuller, Shari Gaines, Shawn S. Smith, Sherida Wysocki, Hallidor Sigurdsson, Stephanie Leyden, Stoney Lawrentz, Kristina Gintautiene, and Wendy Davis.

Each of the artists selected received an honorarium from the TSPAC. A downloadable Illuminated Art Box catalog created by TSPAC member Graham Jones is available online that includes the artist contact information, a corresponding art image for reference and an option to purchase the artwork if it is available for sale on the Tarpon Arts’ website: www.TarponArts.org/Public-Art.

The art that appears in each Illuminated Art Box is numbered and cross-referenced in the online, downloadable catalog for easy access and reference. Enjoy your own art treasure hunt at the historic Sponge Docks both day and night!