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Entry tags:
Noticing Art
I went to pick up Delia from her summer job at a print-making center this afternoon. She was very tired, leaning against the window of the car as I drove as we chatted. My route home took me past a local neighborhood mural, and I pointed it out to her; I liked how the artist has set a mosiac of tiny mirror tiles to pick out the shape of a snowflake.
"Yeah, I really like that mural," she said.
"We have a lot of nice murals in south Minneapolis," I agreed. "I've been noticing them lately."
"Yeah. And the electric boxes."
I looked blank. "Electric boxes? What are you talking about?"
"Oh. I mean the electric utility boxes they have at the street corners where there are street lights. Lately I've been noticing that they've been covering them in art."
A minute later we drove by this one, and I saw what she meant. I had never really noticed these utilitarian structures before, but there they were:
"There's one further down that is covered with red and yellow tomatoes. I love that one." We passed it a moment later and I saw what she meant. I loved it, too. [picture found online].
So I came home and did a little Googling and I found this: a call for artists to submit works to put on the electric utility boxes. It's apparently a joint project between several of the neighborhood associations and the power company. Here's another article about the intiative with another neighborhood association. These utility boxes are a frequent target for graffiti taggers, and often gang symbols are used, starting a sort of artistic tug of war between rival gang factions. The art is installed around the boxes using a wrap that cleans off easily. So the purpose is twofold: to decrease graffiti and to add another artistic canvas to the neighborhood.
I did a little more googling. Apparently, this is an initiative which is springing up in other cities as well. I'm a little ashamed that I had never even noticed, yet I drive by these utility boxes every day.
Thanks to Delia, I'll take the trouble to notice them from now on.
"Yeah, I really like that mural," she said.
"We have a lot of nice murals in south Minneapolis," I agreed. "I've been noticing them lately."
"Yeah. And the electric boxes."
I looked blank. "Electric boxes? What are you talking about?"
"Oh. I mean the electric utility boxes they have at the street corners where there are street lights. Lately I've been noticing that they've been covering them in art."
A minute later we drove by this one, and I saw what she meant. I had never really noticed these utilitarian structures before, but there they were:
"There's one further down that is covered with red and yellow tomatoes. I love that one." We passed it a moment later and I saw what she meant. I loved it, too. [picture found online].
So I came home and did a little Googling and I found this: a call for artists to submit works to put on the electric utility boxes. It's apparently a joint project between several of the neighborhood associations and the power company. Here's another article about the intiative with another neighborhood association. These utility boxes are a frequent target for graffiti taggers, and often gang symbols are used, starting a sort of artistic tug of war between rival gang factions. The art is installed around the boxes using a wrap that cleans off easily. So the purpose is twofold: to decrease graffiti and to add another artistic canvas to the neighborhood.
I did a little more googling. Apparently, this is an initiative which is springing up in other cities as well. I'm a little ashamed that I had never even noticed, yet I drive by these utility boxes every day.
Thanks to Delia, I'll take the trouble to notice them from now on.