[NoHo Arts District, CA] – Council District 3 and 11:11 Projects invite artists to celebrate the people, history, and resilience of the San Fernando Valley through the latest Streetbox Art Project, Roots & Resilience: A Love Letter to the San Fernando Valley.
The Streetbox Project will transform 25 utility boxes across Reseda, Winnetka and Canoga Park into works of public art inspired by the people, places and stories that make the San Fernando Valley unique. The Streetbox Project has been made possible with the support of Councilmember Bob Blumenfield. We asked Erin Armstrong from 11:11 Projects more about the theme and process.
Why was the theme Roots & Resilience: A Love Letter to the San Fernando Valley chosen for this project?
Roots & Resilience: A Love Letter to the San Fernando Valley was chosen to reflect the deep, layered identity of these three neighborhoods. The theme honors the Tongva people, on whose land Reseda, Canoga Park, and Winnetka sit, while also celebrating the working-class history, community care, mutual aid networks, and everyday resilience that define the Valley. We wanted art that felt like it belonged here — not imported — and that residents would recognize themselves in.
How were the 25 utility box locations selected across Reseda, Winnetka and Canoga Park?
Locations are identified in partnership with the contracting agency Council District 3. We look for boxes with high foot traffic and visibility — intersections near schools, parks, transit stops, and commercial corridors — so the art reaches as many community members as possible. Every selected box gets a site visit from our team before the artist call opens, so we can photograph conditions, note neighborhood context, and make curatorial observations that inform the selection process.
How are artists selected, and what qualities make a submission stand out?
We look for three things: artistic excellence and originality, a strong and creative response to the theme, and an understanding of the space — these are public installations visible to everyone, all ages, all the time. What makes a submission stand out is a render that clearly communicates the artist’s vision and skill. The selection committee needs to see what this box is actually going to look like. Vague or underdeveloped renders don’t make the cut, no matter how good the concept sounds on paper. Artists who take the time to really engage with the theme — not just decorate a box, but say something — are the ones who rise to the top.
(Local artists from Reseda, Canoga Park, and Winnetka are given priority in selection.)
What advice would you give artists who are creating public art for the first time?
Your render is your voice. The selection committee can only evaluate what you show them, so invest real time in making it legible, detailed, and true to what you’d actually paint.
Think about the box in context. Who walks by? What’s across the street? Public art isn’t in a gallery — it lives in a neighborhood. Let that shape your concept.
Read the theme, then sit with it. The strongest submissions don’t just illustrate the theme — they find a personal angle on it. What does “roots and resilience” mean to you, from your own life?
Don’t be afraid to apply if you’ve never shown publicly before. This program is specifically designed to give emerging artists a paid, permanent platform.
How did you get the funding for this project?
This project is funded through the office of Councilmember Bob Blumenfield of Council District 3. Councilmember Blumenfield has been a true champion for public art in the San Fernando Valley, making it a cornerstone of his vision for community investment and neighborhood revitalization across the district. We’re proud to partner with his office to bring the Valley Mural Festival and Streetbox Art project to Reseda, Canoga Park, and Winnetka, and grateful for his ongoing commitment to ensuring that art is part of what makes these neighborhoods thrive.
ROOTS & RESILIENCE: A Love Letter to the San Fernando Valley:
Native Land & Indigenous Legacy
The San Fernando Valley is the ancestral home of the Tongva people, whose deep relationship with this land stretches back thousands of years. Artists are invited to honor that foundation — the original stewardship, knowledge, and presence that precedes everything else built here.
History & Foundation
Reseda, Canoga Park, and Winnetka each carry their own story — shaped by waves of migration, the postwar boom, and the communities that planted themselves here and stayed. Artists are encouraged to explore the people, places, and moments that gave these neighborhoods their identity.
Community Care & Mutual Aid
The Valley’s strength lives in the everyday acts of looking out for one another — the mutual aid networks, community gardens, neighborhood icons, and small businesses that became anchors, and the hands that reach out during hard times. Artists are invited to celebrate the unglamorous, beautiful work of caring for a place and its people.
Resilience
The Valley has been tested by earthquakes, economic hardship, displacement, raids, and fires. Again and again, it is the people who carry it through. We are looking for work that reflects the spirit of those who stay, rebuild, and choose community over and over again.
Artist Information:
Submit your designs at:
1111projects.art/streetboxsubmissions
Submission Deadline:
JULY 1, 2026
Questions:
Artist Compensation and Commitment
Chosen designs/artists will be provided a stipend of $750 USD to complete their works of public art and maintain the integrity of the work for a period of two years. Artists will be responsible for all of the necessary materials required for preparation, completion and maintenance of the artwork. All artwork will be anti-graffiti coated after mural installation.
