New Public Art Project

A Few years ago, the City of Valparaiso approached me about designing some art for a downtown utility box, one of several they were adding art to. This year they gave the boxes a refresh, asking each of us to submit a new design. I stuck with the theme of prairie flora and fauna, and so far the design is getting rave reviews on the City’s social media. Earlier in 2021 I had created lots of bird and botanical illustrations for my 2022 calendar, so I was able to remix some of those illustrations for the utility box layout. Goldfinches, barn swallows, thistle, sunflower, and painted lady butterflies are featured in the new utility box wrap at the corner of Washington and Lincolnway in downtown Valparaiso. You can see a number of new designs by different local artists all along the downtown city streets, adding some beauty to the functional objects that are part of the downtown landscape.