Houston City Council Member Larry V. Green, representing Council District K, announces the unveiling of a new traffic control electrical box at Houston Fire Station #59. This is an ongoing pilot project sponsored by District K and the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, the Public Works & Engineering Dept. and the Houston Arts Alliance.
On Tuesday, January 26, 2016 at 4:00 p.m., Council Member Green, along with the Houston Fire Dept. executive command and Station #59, will unveil this unique mini-mural electrical box that captures the Houston Fire Dept. Fire Station #59 is located at 13925 South Post Oak Rd., Houston, TX 77045.
“I’m very excited that our council office is bringing civic art to District K. Moreover I’m thrilled to work with UP Art Studio and Fire Station #59 to bring civic art to our Houston fire station and the Five Corners District,” states Council Member Larry Green. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of the men and women that work at Fire Station #59 and are honored to have the opportunity to work with them on this civic art initiative.”
The box was designed in collaboration with the firefighters from Fire Station #59 after C-shift firefighter Miguel Garcia reached out to UP Art Studio for a mini-mural at his own station. He and his crewmates wanted their own piece of art after seeing the many mini-murals from Council Member Green’s award winning pilot phase within District K last year. This pilot phase has resulted in Council Member Green being recognized by the Keep Houston Beautiful Distinguished Service Award, the Houston Press “Best of 2015, and Best Public Art Project. Upon hearing the strong interest of the Houston Fire Station for its own mini-mural, Council Member Green stepped up to the plate to sponsor it through his District K council service budget fund.
This project converts blight into art by reimagining electrical control boxes (also know as signal cabinets or utility boxes) as blank canvasses brimming with creative opportunity. Once painted by a local artist, the boxes, which are located at very intersection with a traffic signal, are intended to help install civic pride while beautifying neighborhoods and streetscapes across Houston. This year, Council Member will kick-off with more urban artist commissioned by UP Art Studio to transform 12 additional traffic control boxes within District K into colorful works of art.
UP Art Studio and its partners aim to raise awareness of the project in order to expand to other areas across Houston, especially areas that are art deficient. For information about the project, visit www.minimurals.org.
We invite you to join Council Member Green and the Houston Fire Dept. for this momentous event on Tuesday, January 26th at 4:00 p.m.
