Local Artists Painted 322 Utility Boxes Across San Francisco

‘Paint the City’ is a public art program led by the Civic Joy Fund, Paint The Void and Building 180, and recently they wrapped up the program’s second year, quietly painting a total 322 utility boxes across San Francisco.

Around the city, hundreds of forest green utility boxes are placed in public view on our city streets. These boxes contain necessary electrical units for our traffic signals, but they also provide an opportune target for graffiti and general blight. Through this partnership, 49 local artists have contributed to creating unique murals on these boxes, deterring graffiti and bringing public art to San Francisco’s streets.

This initiative, which began in 2023, brings color, energy, and creativity to our city streets whileproviding opportunities for local artists from their respective neighborhoods to share the diverse cultural fabric of the city. In the Mission District, artist Jane Kang’s series of nine utility boxes honor her Korean heritage, similarly, artist Manuel Carmona painted six utility boxes on Valencia Street pays homage to the queer Latinx culture of the neighborhood.

“As a San Franciscan, I feel like it’s my duty as an artist to talk about our context. In this case,the boxes were supposed to uplift the living conditions of people in the Mission which was aworking class Latino neighborhood, but it’s been changing a lot” said artist Manuel Carmona.“Part of the aim of these boxes was to include everyone, so whoever you’re with and whereveryou’re going, if you’re going for a little walk, these make it a little more pleasant. This cityneeds a lot of love and we just want to make it a little better for everyone.”In autumn 2023 we worked with 27 local artists to paint 100 utility boxes across San Francisco.In year two, which recently wrapped, Paint the City contracted another 22 local artists totransform another 222 utility boxes. The murals enhance the visual tapestry of San Franciscocontributing to a renewed sense of civic pride throughout the city.“This project isn’t just about beautifying utility boxes, it’s about celebrating the diverse voicesand stories that make our city unique.” said Manny Yekutiel from the Civic Joy Fund. “Over 50talented local artists came together to transform everyday infrastructure into powerful worksof art, each one reflecting the culture, community, and spirit of the place it represents.”Paint the City is just one of the many initiatives led by the Civic Joy Fund, which is dedicatedto bolstering San Francisco’s cultural and economic vibrancy. In addition to Paint the City, the

Civic Joy Fund is behind programs including Downtown First Thursdays, Clean Up the City,and Summer of Music, all focused on the city’s recovery and revitalization.

Brandon Joseph Baker

Brittney Sundquist (Frozen Feathers)

Cameron Moberg

Christina Xu

Darin Balaban

Darnel Tasker

Ian the Meow

Jane Kang

Josh Katz

LE BohemianMuse

Lizzy Lu

Marc Wagenseil

Monica Magtoto

Rashon Dickason

Robert Casanovas

Robert Louthan

Sami See

Saunders Hildreth 

Shirley Lee

Talavera Ballon

Termeh Behbahani

Val Margolin

Vida Kuang

Yijun Ge

Art Koch

Ayesha Rana

Bianca Rivera

Caitlin Goebel

ChiChai

Diego Gomez

Dilcia Giron

Duser (Ryan Stubbs)

Eli The Man

Elliott C Nathan

Helice Wen

Jewelina Acosta

Josue Rojas

Lady Henze

Manuel Carmona

Mark Harris

Max Ehrman

Messy Beck

Nancy Cato

Rhonel Roberts

Ronnie Buders

Ryan Montgomery

Sam Flores

Seibot

Serge Gay Jr.

The post Local Artists Painted 322 Utility Boxes Across San Francisco appeared first on Broke-Ass Stuart's Website.