If you are out and about in Niagara-on-the-Lake, you will find there are now 16 hydro boxes that have been transformed from a dull green to a palette full of colour. This is part of the beautification program started in the town in 2019.
NOTL Hydro President Tim Curtis brought the idea to the town, after seeing decorated hydro boxes in different areas across Canada. In talks with the lord mayor, the director of operations for NOTL, and the director of the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre, the Hydro Box Beautification Competition was born. The Communities in Bloom Committee is also part of this collaborative effort, and Curtis is part of the committee that selects the theme and locations of the hydro boxes.
Artists in the Niagara area are invited to submit their work to the Pumphouse. These art pieces are on display for a month at the Arts Centre. For the last couple of years the public has been invited to choose one piece and the Pumphouse jurors decide on two other pieces. Three hydro boxes are transformed each year.
How is a design put onto a hydro box? This is where Auto FX Graphics and Signs comes in. The image of the painting is sent to Auto FX. They manipulate, in various ways, for the flat image to wrap around a 3D hydro box. The selected artworks are transferred onto vinyl wraps, and then installed on the selected hydro box. The lamination includes UV protection.
According to Aimee Medina, Pumphouse marketing and communications manager, NOTL Hydro looks after the installation of the wraps.The winning artists receive a $500 honorarium courtesy of NOTL Hydro.
An updated NOTL Hydro Box Public Art Self-Guided Walking Tour will soon be available. More information is available at the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre. Come on out, wander around, celebrate local artists, and admire another aspect of the beautiful town you live in.
