Arts Arlington Utility Boxes Program

Boldyaso is a creative team made up of Grimdrops and Brett Mason. What makes the team unique is not only the work they produce, but their history that has led them to how they connected today. Both Grimdrops and Mason have deep rooted connections to the North Shore where they grew up and attended art school.

Although Adric Giles is not a resident of Arlington, he is considered a welcomed member of the community by friends and family who reside here. He continues a practice of painting and illustration while playing the drums, but rarely at the same time. pencapchew.org

Robin Jones is a lifelong resident of Arlington. She primarily works out of Studio A at Gateway Arts in Brookline, MA. She sells her work from their gallery and store

Renee Majkut is a freelance artist living in Arlington. She works in illustration, abstract painting, collage and stop motion animation and she loves to explore new mediums to express her art. You can find her artwork on instagram @reneemajcut11 and her comic book work at Comicazi’s Bad Kids Press

Meagan O’Brien is a designer and illustrator who has worked in the Greater Boston area for over a decade. From 2017 she worked at Arlington Community Media on the local televisions design and animation. She most recently painted large scale murals near Assembly Row in Somerville and was just commissioned to paint the Condon Shell in Medford, MA. She loves tacos, dancing to live music, and bright colors. To see more of her work go to www.meaganobrien.com

Anastasia Semash is an artist, book designer and art educator who has lived in Arlington for 10 years. She has participated in many local art events including Chairful Where You Sit. Anastasia teaches art to children and adults at Arlington Community Education.

Grace Willoughby has lived in Arlington her entire 21 years of life. She will graduate from Vassar College in 2022 as a history major obsessed with public art. Her website is gracewillo22.wixsite.com/designportfolio

Five utility boxes — also called “transformer” boxes — in town have a new look. The Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture asked local businesses to sponsor the cost of commissioning artists to design and paint selected boxes along Mass Ave. We are grateful to Zhen Ren Chuan Martial Arts, Kickstand Cafe, Arlington Center for the Arts, Ellenhorn, and Custom Contracting, Inc, who each sponsored a box for $300.

The 2020 artists are Shunsuke Yamaguchi, Molly Scannell, Aubrey Cloutier, Chi-Yun Lau, and Karen McCarthy/Laurie Bogdan. Their beautiful art is pictured at the top of the page.

This project began in 2014, when the public art committee, also known around town as Arlington Public Art, began commissioning local artists to design and paint some of the many utility boxes on our streets. The project appealed to ACAC as a relatively inexpensive and temporary way to improve the streetscape while engaging community members to appreciate the simplicity of accessible public art. All past artists have reported that they enjoyed the experience of painting in public and talking to passersby as they worked.

ACAC endeavors to create art for utility boxes in the Spring. If you are a company interested in sponsoring a utility box, please contact ACAC here! And if you are an artist interested in applying to create art for our utility boxes in town, please check out our Call for Artists page here.