Port Moody is asking artistically inclined residents young and old to help put a new face on the city next year.
From now until Oct. 21, city hall is soliciting street banner designs on the theme "Faces of Port Moody."
In years past, Port Moody's street banners have celebrated the city's natural environment, its history and its cultural events. This year, organizers said they wanted to focus on the real heart of the City of the Arts: the people.
"Think about the faces you see around you in your community - the faces of bank tellers, bus drivers, dog groomers and baristas," reads the contest entry form. "Think about the faces of animals that live in the wilderness community surrounding Port Moody or the fantasy faces you see in clouds, on rocks, in tree stumps or in the distant landscape."
During the week beginning Oct. 24, a jury will select the best banner designs from two categories - general and artists under 12 - and those winners will be asked to attend the Banner Painting Festival on Jan. 21 and 22, 2012 at city hall to paint their full-size banner.
Those banners will be hung over city streets from April to November 2012, after which time artists can buy their banner from the city for $30 (the city retains rights to the design for promotional uses).
Submissions should conform to the "faces" theme, employing at least one face of a person, animal or abstract being. All entries must be the artist's own original design and should use the following colour palette: light green, dark green, light blue, purple, red, orange and yellow. Designs may be outlined in black or white but white is discouraged from being used in the design itself, as are mixed colours.
Designs should be submitted in colour on a 14.7 cm tall by 8.5 cm wide rectangle, with simple, colourful designs favoured.
Artists can download a contest entry form from cityofportmoody.com and should submit their form with their design at the city hall galleria or the Port Moody Arts Centre.
tcoyne@tricitynews.com.
