After a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the City’s “Art on Fire” hydrant design program returns this spring inviting Geneva residents to bring their artistic creativity into the community.
The City, in collaboration with the Cultural Arts Commission, 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 to the City. The deadline has been extended to Wednesday, June 30.
“Art on Fire” does not mandate a specific theme, but the program encourages artists to incorporate the character of the hydrant’s surrounding environment into their design. 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 from May through July.
The City’s Public Arts Advisory Committee and Cultural Arts Commission will again judge the hydrants and award prizes to the top three design winners this summer.
People can take a virtual tour of all the decorated hydrants on an interactive map posted on the City’s website. The map will be updated this summer to include all the 2021 submissions.
For more information, contact Administrative Analyst Chris Ranney at 630-232-7494 or send him an email.