Terre Pruitt's Blog

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Posts Tagged ‘painted utility boxes’

Pictures Of Art Box Project San Jose

Posted by terrepruitt on December 20, 2012

One day driving in San Jose I noticed a utility box painted as a huge flower.  I thought it was the coolest idea.  The boxes are not the prettiest things and they are everywhere so why not paint them.  Then some time later, on my way home from either my Monday or Wednesday Nia class, I noticed a man sitting near the curb while I was at a stop light.  It didn’t register in my brain what he was doing until I was past him and the corner.  I had pull over to the curb and back up a little to get back to him.  He was painting the utility box.  He explained to be that it was the San Jose Art Box Project.  I posted about it in July.  I followed up with a post of his finished project in August.  Since then I have snapped a few pictures of boxes painted throughout the city.  Well, at least in the places I go.  I am sure there are other ones around that I don’t even see.  But I did happen to spot the ones on my normal paths.  I even found the flower one that I first noticed.  I wasn’t sure where I had noticed it, but then I found it.

Here are six that I have seen around.  I am sure there are more.  I would love for people to contact me and send me pictures so that I can include more on my blog.  Some might wonder what painted utility boxes have to do with health and wellness, and if they are wondering that then I doubt I could explain it.  But for those of you that appreciate a little color, I am sure you understand.  I might not even particularly like the way the box is painted, but I do like that fact that they are painted.  I love the fact that art is being added to our industrialization.  I love that the artist is basically a volunteer, they get paid, but I think that barely covers the cost of the paint. I love that people in the community are donating to such a project.

It is kind of fun to be sitting at a light just waiting for it to turn green and then all of a sudden spotting an Art Box.  Then it is fun planning the path to get to it.  Some of them are on really busy corners . . . . like the rose . . . I couldn’t really step out to far in the street to get a good shot, but I did what I could.

I believe the art on the box must be reflective of the neighborhood.  That would explain the coffee art box.  It was right in front of a Starbucks.

Normally I would put them in a collage, but I am short on time and so here are some of the pictures of the utilities boxes in San Jose.  I have a lot so this post will be some, then my next post will be the rest.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, ZumbaThis was the set in front of the Starbucks!

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba

You can see the little coffee cups has faces!

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba

So cute!

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba

I forgot to get a picture of the artist’s label so I don’t know who did these coffee cups.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, ZumbaDance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba

Chris has a sense of humor.  See the purple cat dressed as a yellow bird?  Sneaky!

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba

This one is very colorful and had different types of art on the box.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba

This woman is an example of what I mean by “different types” of art.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba

Stay tuned for the rose.  The box that I actually saw first and thought it was just a one time thing.

So how do you like the art so far?  Don’t you think it is cool?

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Utility Box Beautification

Posted by terrepruitt on July 21, 2012

dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, NiaOn my way home from teaching my Nia class in San Jose on a bright and beautiful Wednesday morning, I noticed a man at a utility box.  I had seen him out of the corner of my eye so it did not register what he was doing until I was passed the box.  So I looked at him in my review mirror.  I pulled over to the side of the road to be able to really look to see if he was doing what I thought he was doing.  Then I decided to back my car up, park, and get out to see.  It just so happened that the day before I was on my way to the Roosevelt Community Center, and I took a wrong turn and found myself driving around not sure exactly how to get where I wanted to be and I noticed a set of utility boxes.  Do you ever notice utility boxes?  Probably not, huh?  They are one of those things that are not that attractive so we learn to ignore them.  Well, while I was driving around being lost, I noticed them.  There was one that was painted with a bunch of flowers and then the one right next to it looked like a big red rose.  I thought, “Wow!  That is so cool.”  So as I was driving home from Nia and I saw a man painting a utility box, I wanted to see what it was all about.

We talked briefly, he said it was a project in the City of San Jose.  They are lumping it in as an “anti-graffiti” project, but I like to just think of it as disguising something not attractive AND adding beauty at the same time.  The artist, Scott Willis, was sitting on the grass by the box painting it.  He handed me a fact sheet.  I skimmed it and tried to hand it back and he said I could keep it.  (YAY!)  Because now I have the facts to share with you.

The project is “Art Box Project SJ”.  The project goals are to integrate art into San Jose neighborhoods, grow the project throughout San Jose, and “encourage community participation by engaging neighbors, neighborhood associations, and local artists by sponsoring boxes and paying artists a small stipend for their work.”

Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, NiaThe benefits are: bringing art into the neighborhoods, encouraging community engagement, offering temporary work for local artists, deterring and/or reducing the blight of graffiti.

Additional information on the fact sheet says the “project was inspired by photos of utility boxes with murals painted on them, taken by self proclaimed “Anit-Man-About-Town” and world traveler Gary Singh (a local Metro News columnist).  It’s being pushed along by Tina Morrill; an idealist [who] believes anything is possible.”

I know San Jose isn’t the first city to do this but I am excited to see these boxes around.  In fact the Fact Sheet states, “According to the Contra Costa Times, Hayward has found their art on utility boxes has reduced graffiti problems by 97%”.  Wow.  Ninety-seven percent.

In addition to the sponsors paying the artists’ stipend they can pay an additional amount to have the box sprayed with an “anti-graffiti coating”.

There are criteria for both the box locations and the art, but that is to be expected and the criteria even makes sense, such as the utility box can’t be on the replacement list.  Nice that they don’t want an artist to spend time beautifying it just so it can be replaced.  And the are must be tasteful, respectful, and not political, commercial, or religious.

While the artist do get paid a small amount I am hoping that it will be advertising for them.  I mean, if you see really compelling work on a utility box maybe it could lead to other things for the artist!

The rose I saw the other day just keeps jumping into my head, it was so gorgeous.  The art I saw on Wednesday was unfinished, I interrupted the artist.  But since it is a box I pass at least twice a week on my way home from my Nia classes in Willow Glen, I will see the work in progress and post pictures upon its completion.  For now you get to see the artist and his work in progress.  I am relating this to health and wellness because beauty causes a good feeling.  It is nice to see the plain utility boxes beautified.ance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia

Here is the Facebook page for it (click here).

So what do you think of this project?  Do you have something like it in your city?  Would you like to have something like it in your city?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »