Daily News

Springfield Utility-box Beautification Begins Monday Morning

SPRINGFIELD — Starting Monday, visitors, residents, and employees of downtown Springfield can expect their daily walk to be a little bit more fun, thanks to the Springfield Central Cultural District’s (SCCD) new placemaking program. Eighteen artists will be painting murals on what are currently bland, grey utility boxes at intersections throughout the footprint of the district.

This program was designed by the SCCD to both encourage walking downtown and provide a source of income to working artists. Artist Priya Nadkarni painting the box at Bridge and Main streets, noted that, “since moving to Springfield, I have noticed a special pride and gumption in the people of this city that I believe is truly unique … it’s important to see that translate into beautifying this place and preserving all the positives in the city.”

Artists may be seen creating murals representing ‘unexpected beauty’ from Monday, May 23 to Saturday, May 28. Pedestrians are invited to stop and watch the murals come together and share their experiences using the hashtag #experiencetheunexpected.

The SCCD is funding this program by matching local businesses and organizations to artists. Sponsors of this program include the Armory-Quadrangle Civic Assoc., the Basketball Hall of Fame, Community Music School of Springfield, Eastern States Exposition, Inspired Marketing, Lessard Property Management, Maplegate Rehab, MassDevelopment, the Mattoon Street Assoc., MacIntosh Condos, One Financial Plaza, New England Farm Workers Council, Painting with a Twist, Springfield Parking Authority, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Taylor Street Dental, Tower Square, and WGBY Public Television.

The Springfield Central Cultural District encompasses an area of the metro center of Springfield, and is membership-based, involving many of the downtown arts institutions. Its mission is to create and sustain a vibrant cultural environment in Springfield.

More details on this program can be found at springfieldculture.org/artistresources. Live updates on the painting can be found on Twitter at @slfdculture.A schedule of painting is available upon request. Questions can be forwarded to Morgan Drewniany, executive director of the SCCD, at [email protected] or (413) 454-1195.