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Photos: Decatur has a thing for gloriously artful traffic signal boxes

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Nearly 30 eclectic, vibrant works have popped up around the ITP city, echoing other initiatives around the country.

By Josh Green
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A box painted by Dan Flores in front of Bleu Hanger at the corner of East College Avenue and South Candler Street. 
A box painted by Dan Flores in front of Bleu Hanger, enlivening the corner of East College Avenue and South Candler Street. 
Photos: Jonathan Phillips, Curbed Atlanta

Decatur has made strides over the past year and a 1⁄2 to convert banal, drab, and often corroding pieces of traffic infrastructure into mood-lifting works of art.

The Decatur Box Project has blanketed the ITP city with a vibrant array of paintings applied to traffic signal boxes (alternate name: cabinets), echoing similar initiatives from Augusta to Seattle and far beyond.

In the process, Decatur’s become an Atlanta-area pioneer in making traffic boxes—long the jurisdiction of graffiti tags, stickers, and taped-up flyers—memorable, if not artistically dazzling.

The driving force behind the project was Larry Holland of Fishbone Art (also the organizer of Secret Doors Decatur), who was backed by the Decatur Arts Alliance and the Decatur Downtown Development Authority.

Holland led fundraising efforts, and selected artists were provided 75 bucks for materials and a $125 honorarium. Nearly 30 works are finished across the city (here’s a comprehensive map).

Below is a visual sampling of Decatur’s vibrant boxes—and info on where to find them:

A work by Laurence Laufer at the greenspace between West Howard Avenue, Atlanta Avenue, and Adair Street.
Photos: Jonathan Phillips, Curbed Atlanta
The box painted by Lauren Pallotta at the corner of West Howard Avenue and Commerce Drive.
The box painted by Mario Daniel at the corner of East College Avenue and South McDonough Street, across from Agnes Scott College.
Nick Madden’s work at the corner of East Trinity Place and Church Street.
Vile Kyle’s work in front of the Ice House Lofts at the corner of Commerce Drive and Sycamore Place.
The “Hi-Yo” box painted by Killamari at the corner of Commerce Drive and East College Avenue.
The box painted by Pam Schutty near the Bank of America ATM at the corner of Commerce Drive and Church Street.
The box painted by Larry Holland in front of the DeKalb History Center Museum off West Ponce de Leon Avenue.
The “Chac Mool, Cenotes” box painted by Sara Nguyen in front of Ted's Montana Grill on the corner of West Ponce de Leon Avenue and Commerce Drive.
The "Southern Electric" box painted by Amanda Morris at the corner of Commerce Drive and Swanton Way.
The "Fine Lines, Big Teeth" box painted by Nick Morris at the corner of Commerce Drive and West Trinity Place.
The box painted by Catlanta near the Dekalb County Courthouse at the corner of West Trinity Place and North McDonough Street.

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