NYT: From Eyesore to Public Art

I actually wrote a post on this around 7:30am, but apparently it was eaten somehow. But the New York Times has a nice piece on decorating traffic signal boxes in Stamford. Rather than attempt to hide the boxes, which always seem to come in drab shades of brown, gray, dark green, and occasionally black, the artists paint them with interesting and eye catching images. In Stamford, the art movement originated when groups of neighbors, or a neighborhood association, commissioned (with city approval, of course) as artist to transform the eyesores into public art. In fact, the city even gave them a grant to help defray the cost. I think this is a great idea (they've actually been doing this for around 15 years near the river where I grew up). DC has its own version, with the difference being that it focuses on the old call boxes. Thanks to Rebuilding Place for the heads up.