Ann Arbor Art Center opens public voting for manhole cover art

Which design do you want to see on Tree Town's streets?

Members of the public will choose three finalists in an online poll

ANN ARBOR – The Ann Arbor Art Center is turning to members of the public to decide which finalists will have their artwork featured on manholes throughout the city.

The art center released these six semifinalist designs:

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Three artists will be declared the winners, and will each receive a $1,000 stipend from the City of Ann Arbor.

More than 240 designs were submitted and were juried by an Advisory Committee comprised of local artists, arts educators and community and business leaders. The committee chose six designs to be decided by the public.

"The interest in this project has been amazing” Marie Klopf, Ann Arbor Art Center President and CEO said in a press release. "We received an overwhelming amount of submissions from the Ann Arbor area, but also from as far away as Germany. The public is highly engaged because is it really unique, fun and everyone can get involved. It will be a great legacy for the winners as the manhole covers can last 80 years."

Each design will be produced for roughly two years on brand-new cast iron manhole covers which will be installed across the city.

Click here to vote for your favorite.

Voting closes on February 25.

Read: What does the public think about artwork on Ann Arbor manholes?

About the Ann Arbor Art Center 

"For 108 years, the Ann Arbor Art Center has been sparking creativity in people of all ages and artistic abilities. Our mission is to be a contemporary forum for the visual arts through education, exploration, and exhibition, and to expand perspectives and ignite growth in students, artists, and the community. In this work we aspire to be a gathering place that serves artists and the community in four distinct, yet related ways: Exhibition, Retail, Education, and Community Engagement."