Gray hunks of metal, now awash and alive with color, are making a splash at intersections across the UCLA campus.

Traffic signal control cabinets for UCLA, which regulate light timing and sequencing to ensure a safe and efficient flow of vehicles and pedestrians, will now also direct Bruins and visitors’ attention through art. Today, these utility boxes feature memorable paintings of birds, flowers and other imagery. The art project was brought to life by UCLA Transportation, as part of the UCLA Semel Healthy Campus Initiative (HCI) Center BEWell (Built Environment) Pod.

When the vinyl wraps previously decorating the outdoor cabinets housing the electronic equipment for managing traffic lights and pedestrian crossings began to fade, there was an opportunity to refresh the art. Overseeing these cabinets, UCLA Transportation, through the involvement with HCI’s BEWell Pod, which includes cityLAB UCLA, an architecture and urban design research center, invited students and the campus community to share ideas and shape the themes for the traffic utility boxes.

UCLA connected with Beautify Earth, a mural and street art charity that partners with independent local artists, who recruited L.A.-based muralist John Park, a specialist in public art and large-scale canvases, to put his fine art touches on the 14 otherwise nondescript utility boxes, with illustrations of indigenous species living among Bruins on campus.

These boxes can be spotted at La Kretz Hall, the School of Public Health, Weyburn Terrace and Westwood Plaza, and along streets including Charles E. Young Drive North and South, Gayley, Kinross, and Tiverton.

Looking ahead, UCLA Transportation is signaling further transformations for campus spaces under the department’s purview, including a parklet in front of Medical Plaza, to create a pleasant waiting area for people, and enhancements to the pedestrian tunnel near the Westholme/Hilgard bus stop, with more mural art.

To read the full story, visit the UCLA Newsroom.