Popular Billboard Program also adds art exhibit at SteelStacks for 2016

ArtPop 2015 – Matt Halm

One Lehigh Valley high school student will have his or her artwork showcased on an Adams Outdoor Advertising billboard for an entire year as the popular ArtPop Lehigh Valley Billboard Program expands to include a scholastic competition for 2016.

A partnership between Adams Outdoor Advertising, ArtsQuest and the Lehigh Valley’s arts community, ArtPop is a public art program designed to highlight local artists and the important roles they play in the community by featuring their work on area billboards.  Launched in fall 2014, the program is currently featuring the work of six artists on Adams billboards for the entire 2015 year.

As part of the new ArtPop Scholastic Competition, open to Lehigh and Northampton County students in grades 9-12, one grand-prize winner will be chosen by the ArtPop jurying panel to have his or her art on an Adams billboard in 2016. In addition, the jurors will select the top 10 student submissions for inclusion in an exhibition at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks Jan. 16-March 13. The traditional ArtPop competition is also back, with the opportunity for six local artists to be featured on billboards in 2016; five of the artists will be selected by the jurying panel and the sixth, The People’s Choice Winner, will be chosen by a public vote.

“Adams is proud to support Lehigh Valley artists and ARTPOP again in 2016,” says Adams Outdoor Advertising General Manager Tony Cioffi. “With the huge success of the program last year, we are looking forward to even more submissions and making the decisions of our judges very tough this year. We appreciate our partnership with ArtsQuest and the Banana Factory as we share the same vision for promoting the arts in the region.”

Jurors for the 2016 ArtPop competition are:
-Santa Bannon, Santa Bannon/Fine Art Independent Curator, Fine Art Advisory & Consulting Firm
-Kristen Cook, Graphic Designer, Adams Outdoor Advertising
-Randall Forte, Executive Director, Lehigh Valley Arts Council
-Diane LaBelle, Executive Director, Lehigh Valley Charter Arts High School

“What is so great about this project is that it teaches youth the professional approach to art and business,” says LaBelle. “It especially dramatizes the connection between artistic creativity and entrepreneurship in the global world of the 21st century.”

Artists interested in participating in the ArtPop competition should submit a digital image of their two-dimensional or three-dimensional work online at www.bananafactory.org/artpop. All works must be submitted as a 24.333-inch by 6.333-inch jpeg at 300 dpi. Artists much also provide their name, complete address, email address, title and mediums of the original work of art, and a one-paragraph biography.

Competition dates and deadlines are as follows:
Oct. 7:             Submissions accepted
Nov. 16:          Deadline for artists to submit work
Dec. 7:            Deadline for students to submit work for scholastic competition
Dec. 8-18:       Public vote for People’s Choice Winner
Dec. 21:          Winners announced

For complete information on ArtPop Lehigh Valley and the official Artwork Submission Specifications Sheet, visit www.bananafactory.org/artpop or like ArtPop on Facebook.