Calling All Artists...Color Downtown! | Arts & Culture

To provide additional color and vitality in downtown Rochester and to promote a friendly pedestrian experience for visitors and residents alike, the Rochester Downtown Alliance’s Downtown Cultural Initiatives Committee is launching Color Downtown! The Downtown Cultural Initiatives is a committee that focuses on utilizing the Rochester community’s art and cultural assets in creating a vibrant, unique downtown that has a strong, diversified base for economic prosperity.   What is Color Downtown? An initiative that is focusing on four tactics to bring more color downtown--truly that simple!

1. Painting Public Infrastructure: Up to 10 transformers and signal boxes within the downtown special service district will be painted or applied with vinyl.  The Rochester Downtown Alliance is requesting artist proposal in an open competition to create murals on identified electrical equipment to be installed in July of 2012.  The Request for Proposals, requirements and deadlines can be found on the RDA website:www.downtownrochestermn.com.
2. Empty Spaces: Connecting artists and their concepts to the empty spaces, inside and outside, throughout downtown.

• Alt. Gallery: Display works of art (painting, sculptures, mixed media, etc…) in the empty storefronts of buildings. The first Alt Gallery is installed on the corner of South Broadway and 3rd Street SW.
• Pop-Up Exhibits/Theatre shows: Opportunity to go into empty spaces (inside buildings or outside areas) to view gallery showings, artist demonstrations, and short plays throughout 2012.

If you are an artist interested in showcasing your work, or an owner of empty space downtown that is interested in hosting an artist showcase, contact hmestad@rdowntownalliance.com

3. Building Murals- Two building owners in the downtown district are working with the RDA’s façade improvement program to enhance the aesthetics of their buildings through public art. The murals are projected to be up by fall of 2012.
4. Community Building Public Art Project

• Public Art Wall: In partnership with the Rochester Art Center, a 32 foot-long artistic image will be displayed on a temporary wall that the community will help paint, tile by tile, over the 13 week period of Thursdays on first & 3rd (June 7-August 30).  This public art piece will be a part of the new interactive art and culture area within the festival, located on historic 3rd Street.

Also going on within RDA’s cultural initiatives committee:

ARTWALK

Artists and businesses come together to create an urban energy where you can meet and interact with artists as they demonstrate and showcase their talents within downtown businesses/restaurants. Entertainment is placed within the ARTWALK to provide a touch of unexpected experiences throughout the route.  Next ARTWALK date is July 26th from 5-9pm.