IDAHO MAKERS: Boise Traffic Boxes

IDAHOMAKERS: BOISE TRAFFIC BOXES

It’s tough to find government programs that everybody likes, but it’s tough to find naysayers for the traffic box program run by the Boise Department of Arts and History.

In 2009, officials decided to follow examples set by other cities and turn the boring metal boxes holding electronics controlling traffic signals into canvases highlighting work by local artists.

Several other cities allow artists to paint directly onto traffic boxes. That wouldn’t work here because of Idaho’s harsh weather, so Boise adopted the strategy taken by Vancouver, British Columbia: transposing the artwork to vinyl wraps that could withstand the elements for years.

After soliciting submissions, the city selected a handful of pieces of art to feature downtown. The program has since grown to 192 traffic boxes located all over Boise. The competition has grown tenacious for the coveted traffic box space:

196 artists submitted for the 31 boxes that will join the program this summer.