Drab utility boxes transformed into artwork

There’s a grassroots effort under way to revamp those bulky, asparagus-colored utility boxes in town and turn them into public art.

Imagine Community Arts Center has partnered with the Porterville Unified School District’s Charter Pathway Program to beautify the drab AT&T and city-owned boxes by painting small murals over them.

Recently, three Harmony Magnet Academy students enrolled in the high school’s Performing Arts Pathway volunteered more than 18 hours of their time to paint the first mural on a utility box located on the corner of Cottage Street and Morton Avenue. The mural — painted with acrylic, earth-tone colors — depicts a hacienda-like doorway. The box sits fittingly in front of a Spanish-style home. The design and color themes were predetermined by the homeowner, who also donated the needed materials for the project.

Rebecca Ybarra, executive director of Imagine Community Arts Center, said the mural program, although in its preliminary stages, is an opportunity for students and youth in general to take ownership of their community.

“That’s the way we’re really going to make a difference,” Ybarra said, adding that the murals will act as a great deterrent for graffiti.

The students involved were selected through an application process. The minimum requirements to be considered for the internship include being able to work independently, follow directions, have transportation, and provide a teacher recommendation.

“Our Pathways program offers students project-based and work-based learning to go hand in hand with the curriculum they’re learning in the classroom,” said Mimi Schuler, work-based coordinator for PUSD.

“This is a project students can really sink their teeth into, especially if they are artists or enjoy paint as a medium,” she said.  

Ybarra said she envisions offering the program to all youth, “especially youth who have a propensity to paint their art in public places.”

She noted that perhaps the arts center could work with the Porterville Police Department to use the mural project as a way for juvenile offenders/graffiti artists to do community service.
“There’s a huge potential in this mural project,” she said.

Despite having gotten approval from both AT&T and the City of Porterville to spruce up the boxes, Ybarra said that they will need donations from the homeowner to paint the boxes sitting on private property and will need to seek other grant funding to paint the boxes sitting on city streets.

Contact Denise Madrid at 784-5000, ext. 1047 or dmadrid@portervillerecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @DeniseMadrid_