Austin Art Boards selected its 2015 winners during a Sept. 24 event. Winners pictured include (back row, from left): Billy Reagan, Reagan Outdoor Advertising president; Brian Maclaskey; Kyley Cantwell; Justin Collins, Reagan Outdoor Advertising creative director; Chris Davis (accepting on behalf of Jinni J and Kyle Carter); and Beatrice Baldwin. (Front row from left) Melanie Sherwood, Rebecca Rothfus Harrell, Helen Faythe Green, Michael Anthony Garcia and Virginia Hernandez.[/caption]
Ten Austin-area artists will have their work showcased on billboards throughout the city for the next year starting this fall.
The winners were announced during a Sept. 24 event hosted by Reagan Outdoor Advertising, a Central Texas-based billboard company that started the program in 2011. The contest typically garners nearly 200 submissions, which were narrowed down by Rory Skagen, Blue Genie Art Bazaar co-founder and owner; Hollis Hammonds, chair of the St. Edward’s University Visual Studies Department; and Jill Schroeder, grayDUCK Gallery creator.
Reagan Outdoor Advertising estimates the winning artwork is viewed by millions of passing motorists throughout the next year. The locations of the billboards vary, according to a spokesperson, depending on available inventory. The total value of the donated billboards is $75,000 annually.
Ten artists were selected to showcase their artwork on Austin billboards during the next year.[/caption]
“The Austin Art Boards event is a vehicle to bring Austin’s creativity to the public in a unique way,” said Billy Reagan, president of Reagan Outdoor Advertising, in a statement. “Our business is reliant upon the talented artists who call Austin home. Austin Art Boards is our way of giving back.”
The 10 winners are the first to be honored by Austin Art Boards since 2013. Twenty other finalists were also named honorable mentions and will have their work shown on the Austin Art Boards website.
