Arts Alliance pitches utility box paintings

After last year’s Sarasota Keys program added colorful pianos to city sidewalks, the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County is embarking on another effort to brighten streets in the area.

At the Jan. 5 City Commission meeting, Arts and Cultural Alliance Executive Director Jim Shirley outlined the proposal, called Paintbox. Based on a project that originated in Calgary, Canada, the organization hopes to decorate utility boxes throughout the city with paintings from local artists.

Shirley proposed an initial trial run of up to 20 utility boxes painted by April 2015. All funding would be raised by the Arts and Cultural Alliance, and a selection committee would vet the artwork before painting began, he said.

Right now, Shirley said, the Arts and Cultural Alliance is working with city staff to sort out the logistics of such a program before bringing the topic to the City Commission for consideration. On the heels of the Sarasota Keys project, Shirley was confident that residents would respond positively to the Paintbox proposal.

“I think it would be another one of those great community arts programs that continue to brand this city as a city of the arts,” Shirley said.

For more information on Paintbox, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Sarasota Observer.

Contact David Conway at [email protected].