The Downtown Dayton Partnership, in partnership with The Contemporary Dayton, the city of Dayton, CareSource and PNC Bank, launched the ArtWraps initiative in 2022 with the goal of turning ordinary, everyday objects, such as utility boxes, into works of art.
“ArtWraps have become a staple downtown art installation that can be seen and enjoyed by everyone,” said Katie Meyer, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, in a news release. “These lively pieces of artwork help showcase the vibrancy and colorful personality of our community. We are excited to see this program grow and bring even more local art to our downtown streets.”
A call for art was issued in June of 2023 inviting artists of all ages within a 50-mile radius of Dayton to submit their designs for consideration. Artists were encouraged to submit designs that would bring positivity, creativity, and vibrancy to downtown. The artists of the 15 winning designs have been awarded $500 and are recognized by name at the site of their completed ArtWraps design.
This year’s winning artists are:
Dave Scott, “Teddy’s World”
Jay Clark, “Black Girl Magic”
Aria Berry, “Connected”
Lydia Williamson, “Noodle Girl”
Isabella Collier, “Busy Izzy”
Julia Brown, “In Praise of the Sacred”
Zuri Ali Cole, “Wise Ones”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Amanda Darrah, “Truffles”
Emily Smith, “Growing Expressions”
Taliaferro Sebastian, “Walk in the Park”
Erin Smith-Glenn, “Golden Time of Day”
Matilda Prizler, “Beauty Inside”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Rachel DB, “Layers of Existence”
Iuliia Goncharuk, “Tropical Dream”
Hadley Rodebeck, “Colorblock Symphony: The Division of Bettas and Koi”
A map of all 30 ArtWraps designs can be found at downtowndayton.org/artwraps/.
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