Decorated Utility Box: Ikat Utility Box - Springfield, MA

Ikat Utility Box

Springfield, MA

N 42° 06.197 W 072° 35.531

Quick Description: 

A painted utility box on the northwest corner of Main and Bridge Streets in Springfield, MA is painted with intricate repetitive patterns.

Long Description:

Eighteen artists have been chosen by the Springfield Central Cultural District to paint and beautify electrical utility boxes in the downtown area of Springfield. The first boxes were painted on Monday May 23, 2016 and the program will continue throughout the month and beyond. Many of the paintings will be sponsored by local organizations and businesses. This painted utility box was sponsored by the MassDevelopment.

Priya Nadkarni has used patterns used in traditional ikat art of India, Malaysia, and other countries around the world to decorate this utility box. The sidewalk side has variations of small, heart-shaped, figures of various colors painted against a chartreuse yellow background. The street side has a pattern of overlapping rounded pink crosses on a red background. Each cross has a single dot in its center. The sides have blue horizontal ovals on a white background.