Arts board announces fire hydrant art competition

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The Fayette County Public Arts Committee has been inspired by an idea used in several communities across the nation and is announcing the first ever Fayette County Fire Hydrant Art Competition for all Fayette County high school students.

This spring, selected fire hydrants near all public high schools throughout Fayette County will be available for student artists to paint. The goal of this program is to embrace the artistic talents of local student artists and placing their creative artwork on public display throughout the community.

The committee looks for ways to bring public art to the citizens of the county, but one of the most important duties of the committee is getting the citizens involved in creating art.

“We have all these fire hydrants just sitting there in very public places, sometimes with graffiti on them, but we want to turn the tables and make them part of our creative culture,” said Committee Chairman Steve Brown.  “There are so many talented young artists in Fayette County and most of their art work is hidden in a building somewhere, so this is going to be a very creative way for them to get some public exposure and have a lot of fun in the process.”

Interested artists (high school students in Fayette County Schools) will be permitted to “adopt” fire hydrants within the corporate limits of Fayette County and create artistic designs for them. There is no specific theme for this program. However, artists are encouraged to incorporate the character of the surrounding environment and neighborhood into their artwork.

The Fayette County Public Arts Committee will award winners for the best hydrant designs. There is no cost to apply for the program.

Founded in 2014, the purpose of The Fayette County Public Art Committee is to find ways to use art to enhance the County’s reputation, to contribute to the civic environment, and to enrich the lives of citizens and visitors through the involvement of professional artists to integrate public artwork throughout Fayette County.

The group aims to acquire, cultivate, and perform responsible stewardship of public art to enhance the dignity of the county through the commitment to artists and their disciplines as integral elements of economic vitality and development.

Interested students may email Fayette County Public Art Committee at fcpac@fayettecountyga.gov for more information or visit http://www.fayettecountyga.gov/public_arts_committee/projects.htm to download the application.