5 Artists Recognized For Geneva 'Art on Fire' Hydrant Competition

GENEVA, IL — More than 120 fire hydrants throughout Geneva have been painted by local artists since 2013, and five artists received recognition for their work at Monday's City Council Meeting.

The City Council recognized artists who showcased their creativity as part of the city's 2021 "Art on Fire" hydrant design competition. Hanna Dworkin and Kathleen Brockett took home the first-place prize for "The Big Red Fire Hydrant," located at 12660 Brighton Court.

"'Art on Fire' has been well received by residents and visitors who have taken notice of the public artwork throughout the community," officials said in a Wednesday news release.

Angelina Olivia Trejo won second place for her hydrant "Sunset," located at 512 Division St., while Will Ris' "Geneva's People" hydrant at 711 South St. and Roger Godskesen's "Key Lime Stars" at 428 Dodson St. earned third and fourth place honors, respectively.

Created by city officials in conjunction with the Cultural Arts Commission, "Art on Fire" has colored the city with creative displays since 2013. Artists in the program "adopt" a fire hydrant to paint. In 2021, four hydrants — painted by the five people recognized Monday — were painted, whereas none were decorated the year prior due to the pandemic.

In 2019, artists painted 13 hydrants, compared to the 41 painted in the project's year of inception. To check out all decorated hydrants, Geneva staff have compiled a virtual tour online, sorted by year.

"There are more than 1,500 fire hydrants in Geneva, so the contest has quite a few years to go on," Cultural Arts Commission Chairman Tim Vetang said at Monday's meeting. "We'd love to see all of them painted."

The hydrant painting is open to all artists, regardless of age or place of residence. One of the few requirements is that the paint job can't be black or camouflage for safety reasons.

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