IRVINE : Artwork of City’s New Image Sought

If the spirit of a city can be captured on a 2-by-1 1/2-foot color poster, the Chamber of Commerce is ready to pay $500 for it.

The chamber recently began a citywide contest to find “artwork that depicts the community of Irvine today,” said Linda Benjamin, the chamber’s operations director. The winning entry will be printed on about 500 posters and possibly later on T-shirts, Benjamin said.

The poster will be used to help promote Irvine and will be sold to and by companies doing business in the city, she said.

A contest was needed because chamber officials, in looking for an image of the city, found only pictures of the city’s past as a part of the old Irvine Ranch, Benjamin said.

“There is not a lot of art that depicts the dynamic, vibrant community it is today,” she said.

Judging the contest will be the mayor of Irvine, the chamber president, the curator of the UC Irvine Fine Arts Gallery, artists and art consultants.

Contest entry blanks are available at the chamber’s office at 17200 Jamboree Road, Suite A. The deadline to enter is Jan. 25. For information, call (714) 660-9112.