MOFS | Call for Artists
In 1912, the original Hattiesburg “slogan sign” now known as the Hub Sign was illuminated on Thanksgiving Day. As a gift to the Commercial Club to benefit the city by the Henry L. Doherty & Company, the sign was 42-feet in diameter, with 1,142 lights, rising 50-feet above the Ross Building (now the American Building on Front Street) and 140-feet from the sidewalk.
In 2018, Mayor Toby Barker ushered in 2019 by “dropping” a three-sided replica of the Hub Sign, outfitted with LED lights and suspended approximately 90 feet in the air from a Hattiesburg Fire Truck at Midnight on Front Street, the city’s inaugural New Year’s Eve Celebration.
To honor the Hub Sign’s rich history and to look forward to the great future of many, many celebrations at Midnight on Front Street, the City of Hattiesburg is proudly partnering with VisitHATTIESBURG, Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art and the Hattiesburg Downtown Association to create Midnight on Front Street’s official event poster.
The winning poster will then be printed (a limited quantity), signed and numbered. They will be used as a promotional item in helping bring more to Downtown Hattiesburg for Midnight on Front Street. The winning artist will be featured on hburgnye.com, in statewide/regional news media and social media across the City of Hattiesburg’s social media accounts, as well as partnering channels.
CONTENT
All content must be the entrant’s original creation and must be unpublished. The entrant must have all rights to images and graphics used in the final artwork and during the design process. All subject matter must be in good taste. No profanity or sexually explicit content allowed.
The event information, including date, location, sponsors, logos and any additional information will be added to the poster in the graphic production process. There is no need to include this information within the artwork.
TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
- Size: 18×24 (portrait)
- Any mixed media suitable for two-dimensional mechanical reproduction is allowed, including both hand-drawn and computer-generated graphics.
- Artwork can be submitted digitally (click the button on this page) or in person at the Mayor’s Office (City Hall, 3rd Floor – 200 Forrest Street).
- All work must be submitted by 5 p.m. on 12/6.
JUDGING
All artwork will be judged by a panel to include Mayor Toby Barker and partner representatives. A winner will be announced publicly during the week of December 9 at a press event.
TIMELINE
- Call for Artists: 11/25 – 12/6
- Announcement: Week of 12/9
- A limited quantity of the poster would be printed, signed and numbered. These will be for sale through the Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art.
- The winning artist would be featured on the promotional website (hburgnye.com), news media and on social media across the City’s social media channels – as well as VisitHATTIESBURG and DHA.
Eligibility
- The contest is open to residents of the City of Hattiesburg.
- There is no age limitation.
- One entry per entrant.
Theme & Prompt
From then to now. Artists can submit a work of art around their interpretation of the 1912 Hub Sign Illumination event, the 2018 Inaugural Hub Sign Drop, a meshing of the two OR pieces and parts of events from past years.
To read the full details surrounding the 1912 event, check out the full story.
BEHIND THE ARTWORK
2019 – “Happy New Year Hub City”
Artist: Glenda Grubbs
Local artist Glenda Grubbs’ entry “Happy New Year Hub City” was revealed as the winning entry at a behind-the-scenes press event for Hattiesburg’s New Yaear’s Eve Celebration in early December. Grubbs’ artwork vividly depicts a meshing of the 1912 Hub Sign Illumination and the Inaugural New Year’s Eve event that took place in 2018. Inspired by both, Grubbs stated, “It was my biggest inspiration to learn that the leaders of Hattiesburg at the time had a vision to proclaim Hattiesburg as the Hub City. Now more than 100 years later, it is such a great idea to recreate the sign and continue that vision.” While the original artwork will find its home in City Hall as a new collection of traditions and stories that will grow for years to come, a limited quantity of event posters were for purchase with proceeds going to support public art in Hattiesburg.
2020 – “The Year That Didn’t Happen”
Photo: David Garraway
Although the event in its original capacity did not take place due to COVID-19, several city crews worked safely in small numbers to produce a Hub Sign Drop that was presented Live via Facebook and YouTube.
This photo was blown up to canvas size to match the additional canvas artwork for this event and is hung on the walls of City Hall to mark the year that Midnight on Front Street looked a little different.
2021 – “New Year’s in Hattiesburg”
Artist: Gretchen McClure
The artwork, “New Year’s in Hattiesburg” was inspired by the Hub Sign and the railroads. McClure’s entry stated, “I chose to incorporate the train cars and the sign is one of the train wheels.”
McClure is 11 years old and a native Hattiesburger. She has participated in several art programs, including extra-curricular lessons through Bristles Art Studio.
2022 – “Hub City is on Track”
Artist: Kym Garraway
The artwork “Hub City is on Track” was inspired by merging the old and the new. “This event is about taking something old (the sign) and implementing it in a new way (dropping it on New Year’s Eve). I also wanted to incorporate the old style of the railcars with the new architecture of the Train Depot,” said Garraway.
Garraway was raised in Hattiesburg and is a graduate of the University of Mississippi with a degree in Art and Education. Upon graduation, she studied art for some time in Italy. She began her career as an artist in 1991, primarily as a means to stay at home with her children, but has since created many, many pieces of art – including two murals located in Downtown Hattiesburg.