A new ‘Coppertone Girl’: Green Space Miami’s (GSM) annual open call asks Miami-Dade artists to reimagine an iconic Miami billboard

A new ‘Coppertone Girl’: Green Space Miami’s (GSM) annual open call asks Miami-Dade artists to reimagine an iconic Miami billboard GSM’s Green Space Initiative will grant $5,000 each to ten (10) artists in recognition of work that advocates for the principles of inclusion, community empowerment, and education. What if you could reinvent an iconic symbol of Miami for the 21st century? In the 1950s, Coppertone unveiled its famous Miami billboard depicting a white, pig-tailed, blonde beach baby and her dog, which playfully tugged at her bikini bottom to expose a tan line. The Coppertone sign beckoned a specific and select type of tourist to Miami for fun in the sun. Mirroring many of Miami’s racist and xenophobic laws of that time, the sign stood tall above neighborhoods it did not represent, promoting a beach prohibited to many. The history of the Coppertone sign, however, is storied and barrier-breaking. The artist, Joyce Ballentyne Brand, built her career in a pin-up art field dominated by men. She beat out male artists to design calendars, often using her own image as the model. Miami of today is a very different community than that of the 1950s. Societal and political evolutions have enabled inclusivity and empowered once-silenced voices. Using this historic and universally recognized image, how would YOU reimagine this prototypical figure? What and who would this sign represent for you, in your voice and visual language? What or who would replace the young girl and her dog? What message would you send in public artwork that conveys history and societal impact? This call to artists and the exhibition of the works of the selected artists is only intended to recognize the societal impact of historic artwork, its relevance today, and to stimulate artistic expression. Disclaimer: The “Coppertone Girl” and the Coppertone name, logo, and brand (collectively, the “Coppertone IP”), are not the intellectual property of Green Space Miami. Green Space Miami is not endorsed by the Coppertone company, or its affiliates and any statements, ideas, or opinions expressed herein are solely the statements, ideas, and opinions of Green Space Miami. This call to artists regarding the Coppertone sign is not meant to imply anything about the Coppertone company or line of products, nor its past or present management and ownership. This call to artists is only intended to recognize the societal impact of historic artwork, its relevance today, and to stimulate artistic expression. By submitting entries for our consideration, each artist acknowledges and agrees that (1) any reference to the Coppertone IP will be solely for artistic and non-commercial purposes; (2) if the submission includes any portion of the Coppertone IP, such inclusion will be minimal with respect to the overall work; (3) the overall submission will have additional and/or substantially different functions, purposes, features, or character than the original Coppertone IP; and (4) the submission will not contain any false or disparaging statements regarding the Coppertone IP, the Coppertone company, and/or its affiliates. Who: Green Space Initiative seeks to support professional visual artists of diverse backgrounds based in Miami. Artists must live and work in Miami-Dade County. Eligibility: 2-D techniques (paintings, drawings, prints), 3-D techniques (sculpture, ceramics), photography, and video submissions will be accepted. What message would you send, by invoking the principles of inclusion, community empowerment, and education, in public artwork that conveys history and societal impact? Your work must fit through the 65 in wide by 80 in high doors and, if it is to be hung on a wall, must fit within 12 – 15 ft wide by 11 ft high panels. Design cannot use or include the word Coppertone. NFTs are not eligible for this open call. Timeline: Green Space Initiative invites artists to submit artworks beginning April 28, 2022, until June 28, 2022. NOTE: Submission deadline extended to July 8. All applications will be reviewed, and ten (10) works will be selected by an advisory committee of arts and education professional leaders. Green Space Miami will announce the selected artists before end of August of 2022. The actualized artwork will need to be completed by November 1, 2022, to be included in the exhibition. The work of the selected artists will be exhibited together in Green Space Miami’s community art space from November 10, 2022, to January 14, 2023. For this application, you may submit a rendering of the work. Projection of selected work: In addition to the exhibition, we will potentially project the selected artworks around Miami-Dade. We understand this might require a different medium of production from your work, and because of it, you may opt-in or opt-out of this option. To opt-in, please submit a rendering of the projection visual. The projection visual is not meant to be a separate work of art, the visual should be a copy of the artwork submitted for the exhibition. About Green Space Initiative: Green Space Initiative is Green Space Miami’s annual open call which seeks to support professional visual artists of diverse communities based in Miami-Dade County. Advised by a committee of arts and education leaders, Green Space Miami’s Green Space Initiative will grant $5,000 each to ten (10) artists in recognition of work that advocates for the principles of inclusion, community empowerment, and education. To apply: Click here to submit your application for the open call (this link will redirect you to Submittable). If you’ve used Submittable before and have an existing account, you will need to enter your login credentials. If it’s your first time using Submittable, you will need to create a new account. This is a quick and simple process. Here is a quick guide on how to get started. You can save a draft of your application as you work. You will get a confirmation email once you have submitted your application. Please make sure the ema