The Webster Groves Arts Commission is launching a new community initiative to beautify the city.
The Utility Box Art Program is accepting applications now for four local artists who will paint four public utility boxes in high-traffic areas of the city. Trish Muyco-Tobin, Arts Commissioner for the City, said initiatives like this is what the Commission was made for.
"We like to say that Webster is the 'City of the Arts' and really, at the end of the day, it means so much more than just the slogan," she said. "If you think about the potential of brining people together for a shared experience, something they anticipate, something they plan around, something they feel good about, something that makes them smile - that's the impact the arts can have on someone's life and on a community like Webster Groves."
Courtesy of the Webster Groves Arts Commission
While artists don't have to be residents of Webster Groves, Muyco-Tobin said they do have to be regional locals. Applications are due mid-September, which is when four artists will be chosen and awarded a $900 stipend for necessary supplies.
The four utility boxes that will be painted were picked closest to high-traffic areas and intersections, where the Commission thinks the art will be most visible. Those locations are: S. Elm Ave. and Glendale Rd., N. Elm Ave. and Brentwood Blvd., Brentwood Blvd. and Newport Ave., and Edgar Rd. and Garden Ave. on the campus of Webster University.
Muyco-Tobin said eventually, more artists will be selected and more boxes will be painted.
