Geneva opens Art on Fire hydrant design competition

GENEVA – Geneva residents can share their artistic creativity with the community through the city’s Art on Fire hydrant design program, which will feature a new wrinkle this year, officials announced in a news release.

In collaboration with the Cultural Arts Commission, the city is seeking artists to adopt and paint fire hydrants throughout Geneva. More than 100 hydrants have been painted as part of “Art on Fire,” which was established by Mayor Kevin Burns in 2013.

The program is free and open to the public, but participants need to submit an application by June 30. The application is available on the city’s website, geneva.il.us.

New this year, the city’s International Cultural Exchange Committee is offering a special award category for Geneva middle school students who choose to paint their hydrants with the theme of Geneva’s partner city Croissy-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris, France, or international friendship.

City staff reviews and approves all application designs to make sure they do not compromise the visibility of the hydrants for firefighters in an emergency. Artists will be allowed to paint their hydrants through Aug. 15.

The city’s Public Art Advisory Committee, Cultural Arts Commission, International Cultural Exchange Committee and friends from Croissy-sur-Seine will judge the hydrants, according to the release.

Prizes will be awarded to the overall program winners, as well as the new ICEC category this fall.

People can take a virtual tour of the decorated hydrants on an interactive map posted on the city’s website. The map will be updated this fall to include the 2022 submissions.

For information, call Cultural Arts Commission staff liaison Cate Tracy at 630-938-4555 or email ctracy@geneva.il.us.