Adorned utility boxes infuse Cambridge with public art

Artists for the Clark County Parks and Recreation Department's Zap! 4 project may be finished with their masterpieces, but the lifeline of these works extends far beyond the Oct. 22 completion date.

The fourth installment of Zap! consists of eight artists who were selected via jury from 53 submissions to paint 39 utility boxes in the Cambridge neighborhood from Sept. 19 to Oct. 22. The result, according to Patty Dominguez, program director for the Metro Arts Council of Southern Nevada, goes beyond just a nice display of local artists' talents.

"Zap! is more than just art for art's sake," Dominguez said. "If you integrate art in the neighborhood and reach out to people, they're part of the art, and the public art becomes part of the people."

One of the commissioned artists, Gregory Allred, experienced the integration of the public in his art firsthand.

"This (project) was not just about going out and painting boxes," Allred said. "It's about meeting people in the neighborhood. I really bonded with people, and I really felt like I was doing something meaningful."

Cambridge residents had the opportunity before Zap! 4 started to give input on what they wanted to see in terms of art in their neighborhood. What they didn't want to see, according to Patrick Gaffey, cultural programs supervisor for the Clark County Parks and Recreation Department, were stereotypical images of Las Vegas, such as casinos and showgirls.

Instead, Cambridge residents received an eclectic variety of local artists' masterpieces, such as Patrick Miyoshi's bright cartoon-like images at the corner of Cambridge Street and Twain Avenue and Catherine Cruse's colorful masterpiece of birds amid painted boxes along Swenson Street between Flamingo Road and Twain Avenue.

Gaffey said the works for this Zap! installment are especially important because of large automobile and foot traffic in the neighborhood.

"The first things we were looking for were artistic quality and variety of style," Gaffey said. "We wanted the art to stand out on the streets, and we understood it was necessary to have some kind of graphic strength so someone driving by could easily see (the boxes)."

The 39 boxes, which were donated by Las Vegas Valley Water District and the Clark County Public Works Department, are scattered throughout the neighborhood from Flamingo Road to Dumont Boulevard and from Swenson Street to South Maryland Parkway. Several boxes are near prominent community buildings in the neighborhood, such as schools; the Cambridge Recreation Center, 3930 Cambridge St.; and Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas' Ralph & Betty Engelstad Clubhouse, 3540 Cambridge St. Dominguez said because of these locations, artists were able to connect with residents passing by while they painted the boxes. She said artists such as Jevijoe Vitung, who painted a box near the Ralph & Betty Engelstad Clubhouse , allowed some of the children walking by to pick up a brush and paint small parts.

Gaffey, who has led the Zap! project since the first installment in 2005, said art has the opportunity change the image of a neighborhood. He believes the group of Zap! 4 artists took this opportunity.

"The job of the artists is to help us see what's possible," Gaffey said. "Our city doesn't have to be just gray concrete. These are real artists making real statements."

Dominguez said the transformation from plain utility boxes to local artists' masterpieces in this neighborhood makes more than just an artistic statement.

"I think most people realize it's not cool to destroy public art," Dominguez said. "This (project) prevents graffiti and tagging, and sometimes having public art can make you realize you do care about your community."

Contact Paradise/Downtown View reporter Lisa Carter at lcarter@viewnews.com or 383-0492.