In early December of last year, the City of Sparks released a Call for Artists to paint 10 signal boxes around Prater and Oddie Boulevard. The public art initiative was launched to help highlight local and regional artists and contribute to the overall beautification of the city.
When the application period closed on February 12, 2024, the city received 77 submissions.
The City of Sparks is looking to beautify the area around Prater and Oddie Boulevard by painting its
signal boxes.
“Most artists are from Reno and Sparks,” says Special Events Supervisor Raquel Monserrat, noting that the social media post she created about it was shared through the Nevada Arts Council and The Generator.
“I was pleasantly surprised at the number of applications. In the first couple of weeks, we got 10-12 applications, and we were excited about that. So, to have 77 is beyond our expectations. Reno has had this project going for some time now, and it was a goal of my predecessor to do this,” Monserrat adds, who has been in her position for two years.
The mayor decided to use $10,000 of his discretionary funds to go towards painting 10 signal boxes that he received from the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC). Community Relations Manager Julie Duewel later explained that all RTC board members each get $20,000 of discretionary funds to go towards a project of their choosing and as a member of the board, City of Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson elected to use half of his funds to paint the signal boxes (he usually uses the other $10,000 to give out bus passes to those who need it).
A thousand dollars has been allocated for each site—to cover an estimated $200 in materials and $800 for an artists’ fee. Ten artists will be chosen by the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee, a locally appointed board that was established in 2016.
Six of the signal boxes that the city picked out to be painted are on the RTC’s Oddie Wells Project and four are earmarked to be painted on Prater Boulevard. The exact sites are:
Pyramid Way x Oddie Blvd.; 12th x Oddie Blvd.; Rock x Oddie Blvd.; Sullivan x Oddie Blvd.; El Rancho x Oddie Blvd.; Mall Cir. x Oddie Blvd.; Prater x El Rancho; Prater x Sullivan; Prater x Rock Blvd.; and Prater x 15th Street.
“We are excited to use something as ordinary as signal boxes as canvases for local artists,” says Monserrat. “[Painting the signal boxes] brings beauty to the area, supports local artists, and has been proven to deter graffiti. Public art contributes to the vibrancy of a community, and we are thrilled to begin this program in the City of Sparks.”
The Committee meets every other month and will review the submissions at its next meeting on April 12th. For more information about the City of Sparks’ arts and culture initiatives, visit www.cityofsparks.us.
