By Jennifer Glickel
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — A new city design competition is working to beautify some of New York City’s biggest eyesores: construction sites.
The urbancanvas Design Competition, sponsored by the Departments of Buildings and Cultural Affairs, presents the opportunity for professional artists to create a set of printed art designs for temporary protective structures at construction sites throughout the city.
“The response has been overwhelming in terms of registrants,” Department of Buildings press secretary Jennifer Gilbert said of the more than 450 registrants for the competition from 34 states across the country as of last Wednesday.
“We were hopeful and optimistic that we would get a good response, and we’ve been really excited about and pleased with the one we’ve gotten,” she added.
While the numbers have yet to be calculated, Gilbert said the Department of Buildings expects the number of registrants to have increased by hundreds at the close of registration at 5 p.m. Monday.
Competitors are asked to submit an “Artwork Package,” consisting of five different art templates, one for each kind of temporary protective structure, that work together in a thematic visual whole. The structures for which designs are required include construction fences, sidewalk sheds for active businesses, sidewalk shed for inactive businesses, supported scaffolding, and construction cocoons.
“The idea is that if a property owner has two or three kinds of temporary protective structures on their site, they will have a cohesive set of designs to use throughout the site,” Gilbert told DNAinfo.
After a jury of artists, designers and civic decision-makers review the best 100 submissions and choose six to eight finalists, those designs will be displayed online for the public to vote on in the final round of judging.
Depending on the number of finalists the jury chooses, either three or four artists who receive the most votes from the public online will be the winners of the competition. Each will receive $7,500 and the chance to see their designs gracing the otherwise unattractive exteriors of city construction sites.
With online registration closing Monday, the focus of the building department’s excitement shifts toward what kinds of designs registrants will submit by the July 28 deadline.
“We have no idea what kinds of designs we’re going to see, but most of the registrants have been graphic designers,” Gilbert said.
“With the overwhelming response we’ve gotten, there are bound to be some really terrific designs submitted and we’re all excited to see what those will look like.”
