Arts commission calls on muralists for August utility box art program
Glendale’s Arts and Culture Commission is again calling on local and visiting artists to take part in the next round of utility-box art murals to be painted in the city’s downtown area.
Only a handful of artists who apply by 4 p.m. on July 25 will be selected to paint 13 utility boxes as part of the Beyond the Box mural project, now in its fourth year. The artists will add to the almost 100 utility boxes that already have murals painted on them.
Selected artists will paint their murals Aug. 11 through 13 on boxes located along East Broadway, Verdugo and Monterey roads.
Each artist will receive a $750 stipend to help with supplies and compensate for their time, according to Chuck Wike, community relations manager for the city’s Library, Arts and Culture Department.
Wike has been with the program since its second year and said he encourages applying artists to “think big” and not just about the box.
He said he also hopes that high-school-aged artists, whose interest sometimes dips during summertime, don’t forget to apply.
“We’ve had a good run with these murals, and I think they’ve really changed the look of downtown,” Wike said. “They’re all different, but have given a unification for what Glendale looks like.”
The previous round of the program, completed in April, saw 13 artists from as far away as the Central Coast showcase their various artistic styles on utility boxes.
Freelance animator Ruben Espinoza from Santa Maria spent a weekend in April painting his design called “Mariachis” on a utility box at the corner of North Verdugo Road and North Glendale Avenue.
Espinoza said the program organizers made him feel at home in Glendale even though he’s from a city about 150 miles away.
“It’s a great experience. I loved it, and I’m definitely going to try and do it again,” Espinoza said. “The next artists should go in with an open mind and expect to have a good time.”
The citywide arts project uses funds from the city’s Urban Art program, which is designed to promote diversity and stimulate the local cultural environment, according to the program’s website.
For more information, visit the program’s website at https://ow.ly/Wy8i308KdNE.
Twitter: @JeffLanda
