Contests appeal to local artists

Artwork is found throughout town within galleries, on alley walls and plastered to "Your Art Here" billboards, but what about Bloomington Transit buses?\nYour Art Here, an Indiana-based nonprofit public art organization created to provide Bloomington and Indianapolis communities with an opportunity to engage in visual and public dialogue via the appropriation of billboards and other public spaces, has teamed up with Bloomington Transit for a contest titled "Stories in Motion: Art in Transit" to decorate the sides and insides of city buses from August to October.\nBloomington resident Julie Hardistein, a co-director for Your Art Here, said the "Stories in Motion" campaign is the first art project to decorate public space other than community billboards lining the roadways.\n"The bus project is starting off as a test to see how this kind of community collaboration can work," she said. "Everyone is really excited to get art out to the public and to see if it is well received by the community."\nYour Art Here has issued a "Call for Art" for the bus project, in which community members of all ages are encouraged to submit artwork proposals during the month of June that reflect some theme related to living life in Bloomington. Organizers are asking for two-dimensional media including paintings, printmaking, drawings, photography, digital art and other mixed media.\nThe art display needs to conform to a 3-to-5 ratio, and the contest deadline is set for June 30. Mailing instructions and other guidelines are located at www.yourarthere.org.\nCommunity members feeling the artistic vibe from the "Stories in Motion" art project are also encouraged to participate in the Second Annual Bloomington Tree City USA Art Competition sponsored by city government.\n"Just as trees are key to our community character, we also appreciate the importance of highlighting the artistic and creative talents of our community members," Mayor Mark Kruzan said in a statement. "Once again we look forward to seeing the unique tree pieces that will adorn City Hall."\nSubmissions are limited to one original piece per artist, and artwork tree-related paintings, drawings, photography, computer-generated art, mixed media, prints and sculpture. Accoridng to city officials, artwork is limited to 48-by-48 inches and two-dimensional pieces must be ready to hang.\nThe first-place winners of the adult and youth divisions will each receive a Memorial Tree designated with a limestone plaque to be planted somewhere among Bloomington's other 18,000 trees based on the winner's choosing among available locations. Second and third place winners in each division will also receive a Memorial Tree.\nCommunity members submitted 41 pieces of tree-themed artwork last year. Resident Susan Brodie's "Leaf Light" won first place in the adult division and Bethany Latham's "Our Trees Are Filled With Fairies" took top prize in the youth division.\nCommunity members must submit their tree-related art piece by hand by 5 p.m. between August 10 and 11 to the City Hall atrium. For more information visit www.bloomington.in.gov/treecity.\nBloomington Urban Forester Lee Huss, who works for the Parks and Recreation Department, said the community urban forest is more than just bark and leaves. He said Bloomington's 18,000 citywide trees reduce the "heat island effect," decrease pollution and increase local commerce.\n"I think Bloomington has always been a town that has loved trees," Huss said. "The city is very committed to its urban forest and not every city in Indiana is. We are continually striving to keep the urban forest as healthy and diverse as possible for the community"