Downloadable Banner Program Application located at bottom of this page! 

Asbury Park artists invited to submit designs for "Imagine Asbury Park" banner contest

ASBURY PARK, NJ ― What does Asbury Park mean to you? Can you imagine your images of Asbury Park appearing as pole-mounted banners hanging throughout this fair city?

Local artists are invited to submit up to three designs for banners by Monday, Nov. 3, 2008 to the "Imagine Asbury Park" contest, sponsored by the Arts Coalition of Asbury Park (ArtsCAP), the Asbury Park Historical Society, the Asbury Park Urban Enterprise Zone Program, and the City of Asbury Park.

"The designs should be simple, direct and bold, and should answer the question, 'What does Asbury Park mean to me?' " said Brett Colby, president of ArtsCAP. "These banners will hang throughout the city for a long time, and will help show how local artists envision Asbury Park."

A panel of five judges will select the 14 best designs from those who enter the contest; winners will be announced by Dec. 1, 2008. Each of the winning designs will be hung high up from five lightpoles, visible to passers-by. The banners, printed on vinyl, will be hung sometime in January 2009, while the traditional snowflake holiday decorations are removed.

Each set of banners will be sponsored by a local merchant, whose name will appear on the banner below the artist's design. Local merchants and anyone else who would like to sponsor a set should contact Sonja O'Brien at (917) 881-9508 or at sonjaobrien@ivyhill-cinram.com.

The design should measure 30 inches wide by 43 inches deep ― the total size of the banners will be slightly deeper to accommodate the name of the sponsor. Submissions are accepted ONLY by email to bannerprogram@artscap.org. Specific technical requirements for contest submissions and for winning entries can be found in a PDF file available for download at http://www.artscap.org/bannerprogram.

Entries are welcome from all artists who are inspired to depict Asbury Park in their work, especially students. Those who may feel uncomfortable working with digital media or meeting the technical requirements for the contest can contact ArtsCAP for assistance.

The winning designs will be displayed at the ArtsCAP Winter Gala, planned for winter of 2009, and prints of the banners will be auctioned off. The best of the banner designs, as chosen by those attending the gala, will be recognized. A booklet containing photos of all the winning banners will also be available.

Artscap believes that art by its very nature enriches community life. As a coalition of artists, citizens and cultural organizations, the Arts Coalition of Asbury Park is dedicated to the promotion and advancement of the arts through collaboration, advocacy and education. To learn more about ArtsCAP, visit our website at http://www.artscap.org.