PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Artscape Committee has chosen the eight designs that will painted on utility boxes throughout the downtown.

 

The committee launched the program earlier this year, calling for artists to submit designs for the electrical boxes spanning from the Berkshire Museum to Persip Park.

 

Berkshire Money Management offered a stipend for supplies and payment for the work for the chosen artists. Carr Hardware also donated additional supplies. The goal is to take the drab, gray boxes and turn them into pieces of public art.

 

"For years people have been saying we should be painting the utility boxes, and Artscape was like, 'We need to stop talking about this, everybody, let's do it,'" Artscape Chairman Alex Reczkowski said. "And the help of Allan Harris and Berkshire Money Management to get behind this project and make it a reality."

 

The committee chose the following artists to do the work: Marcel Bova, Megan Carberry, Michael Carty, Catarina Cowley, Paul Dodds, Stacey Healy, Michael McKay, Kyle Murray and Stephanie VanBramer. The paintbox designs range from a laundry detergent box replication named "Quality Time" to silhouettes of children blowing bubbles to an image of the Park Square popcorn wagon to an interactive piece by collecting hand prints.

 

The artists gathered in the Downtown Pittsfield Inc. offices before the First Friday Artswalk on Friday to unveil the winning designs.

 

"We are asking them to focus their painting on the next two Saturdays - not tomorrow because of the holiday but the 9th and the 16th - so you will see artists out and about downtown, painting these up, making Pittsfield more and more beautiful," Reczkowski said.

 

The paintings will be unveiled on July 21, during the Third Thursday street fair. 

 

Similar programs have been done in other parts of the country and is credited with discouraging vandalism to the utility structures as well as sprucing up urban areas. 

 

"The integration of this kind of art throughout the streets of downtown not only makes for a visually stunning display of creativity, but it also demonstrates what we value as a community," Mayor Linda Tyer said in a prepared statement.

 

"We are a city that recognizes, celebrates and creates spaces for artistry to thrive in its many forms."

 

In its first year, Berkshire Money Management sponsored the program to give each artist $400 to do the work, which is $150 for supplies and $250 for the labor. The city's Office of Cultural Development, Berkshire Museum and Downtown Pittsfield Inc. also played roles in the program.

 

The paintbox program is the latest public art installation that started with Sheeptacular in 2005, when decorated sheep sculptures were displayed throughout the city. The Artscape Committee also places public art sculptures throughout the downtown each year.

 

Reczkowski previously said that he hopes to expand the project to include even more utility boxes next year.