Above: Anyone who enjoys drawing flowers is invited to submit an entry for a public art project that’s in the works. (images cropped from flyer, project plan, and Google Maps)
Southborough Recreation has put a call out for submissions to a “collaborative mural” planned at the intersection of Richards and Cordaville roads.
The public art project will cover a traffic control box with images of wildflowers in a field. It will be spearheaded by a twentysomething Southborough artist.
Southborough’s Keara McHaffie is working on the public art project with Southborough Recreation.
Yesterday, Rec announced their call for art submissions on Facebook. The post gave a deadline of August 16th (this Sunday).
A flyer encourages those interested in participating to email “a drawing of your favorite flower” to kearaivory12@gmail.com.
The Select Board voted to allow the project at their July 7th meeting. (Scroll down for more on their discussion.)
The proposal from Rec provided examples from other area projects including a Traffic Control Box by Bay State Commons in Westborough. (See Google Maps image left.)
The photo that Rec included of the Westborough project was from a Community Advocate story interviewing an artist (Jill Strait) who painted multiple utility boxes in Westborough. (You can see better photos in that story here.)
Southborough’s project will be different, since McHaffie hopes to incorporate images from the public to add to a background that she designed.
On Facebook, Rec detailed:
We’re super excited to announce a new Traffic Control Box Art Project coming to the corner of Richard Road & Cordaville Road!
We’re partnering with local Southborough artist Keara McHaffie to bring some color, creativity, and community spirit to a space we pass by every day. Keara proposed the mural project and will be transforming the traffic control box into a vibrant piece of public art. 🖌️✨
Keara is an experienced public artist with a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MA from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her work has supported public art and community beautification efforts in a variety of settings.
🌸 And Keara needs YOUR help! 🌸
The mural will feature a “community garden” aspect, and we want you to help fill it with flowers! Submit artwork featuring your favorite flower to be considered for inclusion in the box design.
📅 Please submit your flower artwork by August 16th!
Whether you’re a budding young artist, a seasoned creative, or just someone who loves flowers, we’d love to see what you come up with! 🌼🌷🌻Traffic control box murals are popping up in communities across the region and beyond—and for good reason! They’re a fun way to brighten up public spaces, discourage vandalism, and build community pride. ❤️
We can’t wait to watch this blank box become a true community work of art!
Thank you, Keara, for helping us add a little more art, color, and personality to Southborough! 🌿🎨
In the Select Board discussion, member Tim Fling wondered if the board should come up with a sunset clause provision for the mural, or set expectations about how long the mural will be preserved. He referred to a recent news story about a $25M lawsuit filed by an artist after a longtime mural in Dallas was painted over.
Fling asked:
is there a time that we should have on these sort of things? . . . as an upfront expectation because they might need it might need to be touched up over time.
I just want to be like kind of somewhat upfront about this, so that way somebody doesn’t feel bad that if it gets painted over or something happens in several years due to whatever reason — that it’s not like this is a forever thing.
I’m all for it. I think it’s a great idea and I like seeing things like this. I just wonder if there should be some sort of like sunset clause within these sort of approvals.
None of the other members were interested in getting into that level of detail. Chair Kathy Cook noted that there wouldn’t be a signed agreement. Fling clarified that his concern was about expectations for the art.
Select Board member Andrew Dennington responded:
It’s gonna gradually chip and fade over time, and then we’ll just figure it out later. That’s my approach.
In the Select Board packet, the proposal from Rec included:
Ms. McHaffie has generously offered to donate her time and artistic services. The Town’s contribution would be limited to the purchase of necessary supplies and materials.
We believe this project presents an excellent opportunity to support local artists while enhancing a visible public asset within the community.
Below are images of McHaffie’s proposed background and the Traffic Control Box that will be covered:
