Tucson, AZ – JAN 23, 2024 – Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona is excited to announce the ‘Call to Artists: Sugar Hill Neighborhood Banners Project’, a unique initiative within the Sugar Hill Neighborhood, a key location of the Thrive in the 05 area. This project extends an invitation not only to artists but also to the community for active participation. It is a direct response to the community’s interest in integrating art into neighborhood development, as evidenced by feedback from Thrive in the 05 neighborhood surveys and transformation team meetings.
“As Public Art Director, I’m thrilled about the Sugar Hill Neighborhood Banners Project. It’s a unique opportunity to blend art with community stories, making each banner a celebration of Sugar Hill’s rich history,” says Wylwyn Reyes. “This project is a beautiful synergy of artistic creativity and community spirit, and we can’t wait to see how it transforms the neighborhood.”
Calling Residents and Friends of the Sugar Hill Neighborhood
The project seeks submissions of historical or recent photos from residents, depicting various aspects of Sugar Hill’s life. These photos are critical in guiding the project’s authenticity and connection with the community. Furthermore, community members are invited to apply to serve on the project’s selection and advisory panel. This is an opportunity for individuals passionate about art and community engagement to play an integral role in shaping the project. No prior experience is required for panelist positions.
Community members may submit photos and/or join the panel, by clicking link below: https://artsfoundtucson.org/calling-all-residents-and-friends-of-the-sugar-hill-neighborhood/
Call to Artists
This community design opportunity is open to all artists or artist teams that reside in Southern Arizona and was initiated to serve as creative placemaking for the Sugar Hill Neighborhood, the easternmost neighborhood of the Thrive in the 05 area. In recent years, areas around downtown Tucson have seen increased enthusiasm for investment in projects that celebrate the culture and unique aesthetic of Tucson and its neighborhoods. A desire to build community through art has been a consistent theme in feedback from Thrive in the 05 neighborhood surveys and from transformation team meetings. Thrive in the 05 seeks to kickstart that vision with an influx of often-hard-to-come-by funding and the opportunity to build a coalition of arts-focused stakeholders who will guide and direct arts projects throughout implementation of the Transformation Plan.
Project Theme
This project specifically engages past and present residents of the Sugar Hill Neighborhood through a call for submissions of historic photographs. A project panel of community stakeholders will be assembled to select the artist and will also work with the artist to co-design the content of the banners using submitted historic photos and community feedback. The goal is to connect people with the history of the neighborhood and raise the visibility of this historic neighborhood, prompting residential and commercial investment, social cohesion, and neighborhood confidence in the planning process.
Project Location
This community design opportunity will be placed on light pole banners along the east side of Stone Ave from Grant Rd to Lee St. The Sugar Hill Neighborhood is bounded by Grant Road to the North, 4th Ave to the East, Seneca Street to the North, 1st Ave to the East and Lee Street to the South. For more information on the historical and geographical context of the area click here.
Artist Stipend
The selected Artist will receive a stipend of $10,000 to produce digital artwork that will be co-designed with the community panel. The designs will be printed on up to 10 double-sided banner signs and installed on light poles.
Thrive in the 05 is an initiative of the City of Tucson, Pima Community College, and the ASU Office of Community Health Engagement and Resiliency. The City of Tucson was awarded a Choice Neighborhoods Planning and Action Grant which has funded several years of community engagement leading to action projects and finally a neighborhood transformation plan. Through this process, several Action Activities projects were selected by the community to be implemented throughout the area including the Storytelling Public Art project. The City has partnered with the Arts Foundation to administer the action activities.
For more information and to apply, visit https://artsfoundtucson.org/call-to-artists-sugar-hill-neighborhood-banners/
The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and funding agency with a mission to advance the artistic expression, civic participation, and equitable economic growth of our diverse communities. Through forward-thinking, accountable leadership, the Arts Foundation works to affect systemic change that fosters an accessible, diverse, inclusive, and equitable local arts community.
As the designated local arts agency, the Arts Foundation provides arts and cultural development across Southern Arizona for individual working artists, artist collectives, ensembles, and nonprofit organizations through grant programs, professional development opportunities and public art management for the City of Tucson and Pima County.
The work of the Arts Foundation is made possible through generous support from the City of Tucson, Pima County, Arizona Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and individual donors. Our service area includes all counties and native sovereign nations South of the Gila River, including 372 miles along the US-Mexico international border in the South and along the 590 mile stretch of the Gila River, which flows west from the New Mexico border to the Colorado River.
