"Outside the Box" was a grant-funded program to create temporary art on traffic boxes throughout the City of Thornton. Only boxes that are owned by the City of Thornton can be painted or decorated. The City cannot add art to property that it does not own.
Ineligible boxes include many utility and telecom boxes seen at intersections, along roads, near HOA facilities, and in residents' backyards. These boxes have been installed by various companies over the years, including Xcel Energy, United Power, Comcast (Xfinity), and Lumen (CenturyLink, Quantum Fiber).
Traffic boxes (also known as signal boxes or cabinets) were selected based on:
Ineligible boxes include many utility and telecom boxes seen at intersections, along roads, near HOA facilities, and in residents' backyards. These boxes have been installed by various companies over the years, including Xcel Energy, United Power, Comcast (Xfinity), and Lumen (CenturyLink, Quantum Fiber).
Traffic boxes (also known as signal boxes or cabinets) were selected based on:
- Ownership. Box must be owned by the City.
- Age of traffic box. Vinyl wraps require starting with a clean, smooth surface with no rust, corrosion, or residue from flyers/stickers/previous art.
- The number of cars that drive by an intersection (24-hour traffic counts).
- Proximity to pedestrian infrastructure and activity. Traffic boxes near parks, trails, recreation centers, schools, and local businesses were prioritized. Locations that would be visible only from vehicles were not included (i.e. areas lacking sidewalks or trails, roads approaching E-470 on- and off-ramps)
- Future development plans. If development planned to move, remove, or replace a box, the box was not included in the project.
"Outside the Box" was funded in part by grants from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), with additional funds provided by the Thornton Arts, Sciences, and Humanities Council (TASHCO), and the City of Thornton.
