The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department welcomes local and regional artists to submit original designs for a new public art installation at Jim May Park.

The selected artist or team will receive a $1,000 award, and the winning design will be professionally fabricated as an exterior vinyl wrap for a new shaded bench overlooking the park’s lake.

The theme Living Waters encourages artwork inspired by the plants, wildlife, lake, and natural environment of Jim May Park.

The free opportunity is open to artists, illustrators, graphic designers, and artist-led teams ages 18 and older who live or work in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo or Ventura county.

Artists must submit a completed digital design using the official artwork template. Eligible designs will be reviewed anonymously by the city’s Public Art Committee, which will select the winner.
 
Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. Required materials must be submitted on a USB drive, either by mail or in person, to the Recreation and Parks Department, 615 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria, CA 93454, Attn: Jim May Park Gateway Bench.

An optional site walk will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at Jim May Park, 809 Stanford Drive.

The complete Call for Artists guidelines, including the required artwork template, submission materials, and selection criteria, are available at www.cityofsantamaria.org/recreation.

Direct questions to Recreation and Parks Department, 805-925-0951 ext. 2260.