North Charleston to spotlight student art in beautification program

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Student artists in the North Charleston area can have their artwork publicly displayed around the city.

The Traffic Signal Boxes Beautification Program will select 10 digital artwork designs submitted by students to decorate traffic signal boxes in each of the city’s 10 districts.

North Charleston Cultural Arts Department Director Kyle Lahm said the judges for this competition will most likely be a panel of staff from the city’s recreational, executive, and cultural arts departments.

She said the South Carolina Department of Transportation must approve of the location where the artwork will be displayed.

Lahm the city was inspired by other municipalities who have done similar beautification programs.

Lahm said the city wanted to partake in the traffic signal box beautification after seeing other municipalities locally display art but wanted to engage an older youth audience through a digital medium.

She said this comes after North Charleston teachers in recent years have started to express an interest in ways for students to share their digital artwork.

Lahm said selected artists will be awarded $100 and that this is an opportunity for student artists to build their resume and gain recognition for their artwork, which she said is expected to be displayed for years.

“Students would be able to utilize this for their CV and resume you know that they won a design contest, and their artwork will be featured on this box we are told by the vinyl company that does the work that these last several years,” Lahm said. “So that artwork will be on display for a while.”

North Charleston students are interested in entering the Deadline for the Traffic Signal Box Beautification Program have until noon on March 31.

They may enter or get more information at this website.

The contest is open to middle school and high school students in grades 6 through 12.

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