(Englewood, New Jersey; March 27, 2017) -- The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation's (NNJCF) ArtsBergen, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization based in Englewood, New Jersey, has issued a call for artists for Creative Hackensack's "The Utility ARTBox Project" in Hackensack, New Jersey.

ArtsBergen, an initiative of the Englewood-based NNJCF, is working with the Hackensack Main Street Alliance's Creative Arts Team (CAT) and the Hackensack Cultural Arts Department to select five artists and/or artist teams to design and paint murals on five utility boxes in the city. Applications are due Monday, April 17, 2017.

The Hackensack CAT is a group of artists, merchants, organizational leaders and public officials collaborating to implement a creative placemaking plan for the City of Hackensack. Creative placemaking integrates arts and culture into a neighborhood, town, or region to build community and livability and boost the local economy. The Utility ARTBox is among several projects the CAT has identified to implement the Creative Vision Statement developed with input from various members and sectors of the community.

Litter Prevention Through Art

The project's five goals are:

• to create public awareness of the negative effects of littering through public art;

• to beautify the community of Hackensack by incorporating public art into ordinary elements of the city such as utility boxes;

• to provide art-based work opportunities for local artists to celebrate their work through public showcases;

• to engage and delight passersby and residents; and

• to endorse arts and culture as a powerful tool to transform, connect, and serve the city of Hackensack.

Funding for the project is provided in part by a Clean Communities Grant, with a primary focus on litter prevention. Each box will serve as a canvas for a painted mural illustrating a clear message of anti-littering, litter prevention, the damages of littering to a community and how anti-littering behavior enhances an area. The incorporation of elements that engage the public is encouraged.

NNJCF's ArtsBergen is recruiting the artists, managing the submission process and working with its partners to implement the project. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age to apply and either work or live in New Jersey. A committee will select the artists based on creativity of design, experience, artistic excellence, and how clearly the theme of litter prevention is communicated.

Complete application information may be found at http://s216151.gridserver.com/call-to-artists/. Selected artists will be notified if their design has been accepted. For further information, contact NNJCF's ArtsBergen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 201-568-5608. For further information about the Main Street Business Alliance, visit uppermain.org. Follow Creative Hackensack and the Hackensack Creative Arts Team on Facebook for updates about events and activities at www.facebook.com/CreativeHackensack/.

About NNJCF

The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF), a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization based in Englewood, New Jersey, focuses primarily on civic engagement, education, public health, and the arts. NNJCF works with local governments, school districts, businesses, non-profit organizations, and citizen groups in Northern New Jersey to improve community life. The Foundation's partners identify and resolve regional problems and opportunities by talking and learning from each other, by sharing ideas, best practices, services, and resources.

About ArtsBergen

ArtsBergen, an initiative of the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, is an emerging arts alliance in Bergen County, New Jersey that supports and encourages creative placemaking, the practice of integrating arts and culture into a neighborhood, town, or region to build community and livability and boost local economy. The initiative's mission is to energize and unify artists and arts organizations and connect the Bergen County community to the arts. For more information, visit www.nnjcf.org, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 201-568-5608.

About Hackensack Main Street Alliance

Established in 2004, the Hackensack Main Alliance is a public private partnership between the business community and the City of Hackensack. The organization’s mission is to address the issues facing the business community with the goal of improving the local economy and the City’s overall business climate. Since its inception, the Upper Main Alliance has provided Main Street with aesthetic improvements, clean and green programs, merchant grants, and marketing and events such as the Hackensack Street Festival.