Utica billboard to display digital works of art

**Jimaz** · May-26-12, 07:30 PM

Utica billboard to display digital works of art

Throughout the month of June, the billboard on Hall Road adjacent to the Utica Municipal Building will have a whole new look, courtesy of the folks from the Billboard Art Project, a nonprofit organization that acquires digital billboards normally used for advertising and repurposes them as roadside galleries....

According to a press release issued by the group, the Billboard Art Project has acquired the west side of the Lamar Advertising digital billboard facing eastbound traffic on Hall Road for a period of about four weeks - from May 28 through June 24 - during which time a variety of artwork will be on display....

Participants in the Billboard Art Project include artists from across the United States, including eight local artists from Michigan, as well as artists from Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium and Indonesia. It will conclude with a week of work curated by artist Derek Cote.

Utica Community Billboard Art Day

Saturday, June 9th 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mayor Noonan and the City of Utica, in conjunction with the Billboard Art Project, are proud to host the first Community Billboard Art Day, an event that features artwork by over 50 local and national artists that will also feature an opportunity for people who come out to generate their own "billboard art" and have it put up in the big bright lights of an LED billboard.

Event details on facebook.

I intend to take photos or maybe even a video but each repetition of the show lasts 2 hours and 20 minutes so I'll have to be selective.

There are two of these billboards in the vicinity. It appears they'll use the east one for this project. The west billboard is in the new Utica Memorial Park which is also worth seeing if you're in the area.

**Jimaz** · May-26-12, 08:27 PM

Attachment 13624
DETROIT Billboard Art Project

The Billboard Art Project is taking over roadside digital LED billboards to turn them into free public art venues for 24 hours or more. Those in-your-face and colorful canvases that you see as you sit stuck in traffic are turned over to local and international artists for a little break from everyday advertising, presenting larger-than-life art in glowing colors.

Catch a glimpse from your car as you drive by, or hang out for awhile and watch the show with other artists and onlookers. You won't know what is coming next as different artists explore this medium, with the electronic canvas morphing every 8 seconds. The billboard is in Utica, facing west and can be seen by traffic traveling east bound on Hall Rd [[M-59). The billboard can also be seen from a parking lot shared by Muldoon's Restaurant at 7636 Auburn Road and the Utica ... Police Department.

**Jimaz** · May-28-12, 07:40 PM

The show has begun!

Here's the setting from behind the Utica Police Department looking east. Hall Road is to the right of this photo. Muldoon's Restaurant is on the left.

**Jimaz** · May-28-12, 08:50 PM

Someone was playing with the Mandelbrot Set:

This is how they credit the artist:

Nice textures here:

This is just an ad hoc sample. More to follow as weather cooperates.

The target audience is eastbound M-59 traffic. I doubt they were able to fully appreciate it without pulling over.

I was hoping to see some fluid videos but what I saw was more like a slide show. Maybe that's a technological limitation of an LED screen that large?

This feels like it's tied in with the Occupy Movement although I haven't seen that explicitly mentioned anywhere.