Getting stuck in traffic is never fun. But a new artform popping up around Clearwater is making it a little more tolerable.
Whether you get around by car, foot or bike on your next Bamboo Beach Club Resort vacation, be on the lookout for bright and funky signal boxes.
If you can’t immediately call to mind what a signal box is, it’s because they are those big boring silver things that sit on the corner powering the traffic signals.
But now, thanks to the support of the Clearwater Arts Alliance, artists are being hired to transform those dull boxes into colorful, vibrant canvases.
Three Tampa Bay artists were chosen for the Clearwater project’s first phase, including Ray Paul, Tim Boatright, and Ya La’Ford.
Traffic box art isn’t a new thing. They’ve been successful public art projects in cities like Tampa and Fort Lauderdale. And now Clearwater will join the list.
How do they do it? The artist creates an image which is digitized and printed on UV-protected vinyl. The wraps go on the boxes at dusk or early in the morning (because the boxes get too hot for application during the day).
Paying the artist and installing the wrap runs about $1,000 per box. In Clearwater, the funds have come from The Clearwater Arts Alliance, Downtown Development Board and a grant from the City of Clearwater, for a total of 18 planned boxes so far.
The boxes enhance the urban landscape and engage the community, a win-win for public art.
Have you seen any artsy signal boxes in Florda? Where did you spot them?
Cover photo: Artist Tim Boatright’s signal box “Bright Squares,” is on Cleveland Street. Photo Credit: Cathy Carter
Read the source article at WUSF News
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