Darlington 5000 needs artists to design 10th anniversary logo

Call to Artists

As the Darlington 5000 Run/Walk will celebrate its 10^th anniversary this September, the Williamson Park Committee would like to involve the community in the organization of this year’s event in a special way.

Artists are asked to design a logo to celebrate the decade-mark for the annual race that benefits Williamson Park, a 64-acre nature preserve located just a few blocks from downtown. The logo will appear on the race brochure, race T-shirts, and other marketing materials.

Entries should include the Williamson Park logo; the words “Darlington 5000”; the date of the event, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014; the words “Benefiting Williamson Park” or “To Benefit Williamson Park”; and the number “10” or “10th."    

Entries must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, May 9.

Winner’s artwork will adorn all race T-shirts and be used in promotional materials. A link to the artist’s website and photo of the winner with his artwork will appear online and be distributed to media outlets.

There is no cost to enter.

The winning design will be chosen during the May 13 meeting of the Williamson Park committee. The artist will be contacted by Friday, May 16, so he or she can be included in press releases.

Artists may deliver work to the Planning Department at the City Administration Building, 410 Pearl St., or they may email digital files to darlingtonplanner@gmail.com. Vector digital images are preferred for graphic design entries. Image files should be saved at 300 dpi.

All entries should be accompanied by an Entry Form. Without a signed form, your entry will not be processed. You can download the rules and entry form from the park’s website www.williamsonpark.org or the City of Darlington website, www.darlingtonsconline.com.

Mail to: Williamson Park Committee, Planning Department, PO Box 57, Darlington, SC  29540.

For questions, call the Planning Director at 843-398-4000 ext. 103.

Call to Artists: Racing Art Contest 2014 in Darlington

Criteria:  Original artwork work in all media will be considered and is eligible. Limit of one (1) piece per artist. Winners will be based upon how the art entry captures the essence, history, culture, or excitement of racing. Entries focusing on the Southern 500 or Darlington-related specifics will be given greater favor. 

Exhibit Date: Saturday, April 12 – 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

Two Categories: (1) Ages 18 & Older and (2) Ages 17 & Younger

Prizes: Jury panel of art professionals and local celebrities will evaluate entries on the strength of original art and select one entry as the winner in each category. Visitors to the exhibit will vote for one (1) People’s Choice Award winner. The winner of the Ages 18 & Older category will receive $100. The winner of the People’s Choice will receive $100. The winner of the Ages 17 & Older category will receive $50.

Cost: Entry fee is $15 for Ages 18 & Older and is $5 for Ages 17 & Younger.  Checks can be mailed to the address below. Make out to:  Market on Darlington Square / DDRA.

Booth Display: Any artists who have paid for an entry in the Racing Art Contest may set up a booth to display and sell their original work or prints at no additional charge. You must indicate that you will have a booth when you send in your entry, so we can reserve a space for you. You do not have to have a booth display to enter the contest.

Identification: Affix a tag to the front and back of each entry with your name, title, medium, size, and price (or NFS if not for sale). During the exhibit, people interested in purchasing artwork will be directed to the artist’s booth, if present, or contact information will be collected for the artist. The Committee will not handle any sales.

Delivery and Display: All artwork must be ready for display. Artists may deliver work beginning March 31 to the City Administration Building, 410 Pearl St., or they may deliver between 7:30 am and 8:45 am the morning of the exhibit to 1 Public Square.

Pick up of Artwork: We encourage artists to pick up artwork between 2 pm and 3 pm immediately following the exhibit on April 12. If that is not possible, arrange to pick up artwork before April 30, 2014. 

Application Procedure:  Fill out the enclosed application and return to the Market on Darlington Square Committee with a color photo of the entry. Jpegs can be substituted for photos and may be emailed to darlingtonplanner@gmail.com. Your application will not be processed without payment of the entry fee.

Mail to:           Market on Darlington Square, Planning Department

PO Box 57, Darlington, SC  29540

Deadline to Enter: No later than 5 pm on Monday, March 31

Questions? Call the Planning Director at 843-398-4000 ext. 103.

Downtown Darlington to get mural honoring race track

Artist Blue Sky will return to Darlington to complete a second mural for the city of Darlington — this time one to commemorate the story of Darlington Raceway.

Darlington City Council voted to hire the Columbia artist during its January regular meeting. The mural is scheduled to be complete in time for this year’s new race date in early April.

The mural will be located at 114 Pearl St. at the Liberty Lane Winston Walk of Fame, a brick pathway created in 1989 through a partnership of the Darlington Downtown Revitalization Association, the City of Darlington and Darlington Raceway.

“This mural will serve as another point of community pride at the town’s center like the Blue Sky mural on Main Street, Williamson Park and the Veterans Memorial Park will be once it’s complete,” said Darlington City Planning Director Lisa Chalian-Rock, who developed the idea after many walks meandering through downtown.

With the change in Darlington’s annual race date from Mother’s Day weekend to April 11-12, the city also wanted to do something special to highlight its connection to the track, which has given Darlington international name recognition. The city will hold a celebration and reception for Blue Sky and the new mural during race week at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9 at Liberty Lane with light refreshments and musical entertainment before the Car Haulers Parade and Racefest at 7 p.m.

The artwork of the mural will tell the story of how the “Lady in Black” came to be in a graphic novel style using bold colors and snapshots of the early history of racing in Darlington.

Work is slated to begin Monday.