The freshest Wellesley traffic box painting, just completed this weekend, features a colorful menagerie of reptiles, such as lizards, a snake, and turtle.
Wellesley High School student Ellen Kim is the artist, and we happened by the box located on the sidewalk in front of the Warren Building (90 Washington St.) just as she was finishing the painting.
Kim had been aware of other high school students that had taken part in the town’s traffic box art program, so came up with a design on a whim and submitted it. The program, in place since 2020 and coordinated by the town’s Public Art Committee and Police Department, has resulted in public art displays across town from Wellesley College to Linden Square to Wellesley Lower Falls. Kim’s painting replaces a design that had been done by a previous Wellesley High student.
Kim says it took about 40 hours to complete the traffic box painting. The student had assistance from a friend on the stenciling, and when we first saw the painting in progress, it was Kim’s mom, Rebecca Crane, reaching the high parts of the box.
Among the inspirations for the design: The family’s crested gecko pet.
Boxes in front of the Hardy Elementary School on Weston Road and another in Lower Falls are also being repainted as part of the public art program.
The Traffic Box Art Program is funded through donations to the Wellesley Police Department.
@swellesleyreport Lizards & their reptile friends rule at newly painted electrical box in #Wellesley Hills #publicart #chameleon #turtle #snake ♬ Rattlesnake – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
More:
- Artists transform four more Wellesley electrical boxes (2020)
- Wellesley moves to strengthen arts and culture scene with new strategic plan
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Fantastic addition to the town-wide collection! Public art enriches our community, and a “good news” story is always welcome.