Artwork by Brandon Gastinell (right) in Winn Park
Artwork by Andy Duong at 16 Powerhouse
MIDTOWN ASSOCIATION INITIATIVE BEAUTIFIES EVERYDAY OBJECTS
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ou probably walk by utility boxes every day without noticing. But if that utility box is splattered with vivid colors and a woman’s piercing stare, her head crowned in wildflowers, you might stop and stare. Beautifying everyday objects to bring art into public spaces is the goal of Midtown Association’s Art in Unexpected Places initiative. Launched in 2016, the program has covered 21 trash receptacles, 13
JL By Jessica Laskey Open Studio
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utility boxes and six dumpsters across Midtown. “The intent of all this is to create this really beautiful community moment, for neighborhoods to feel welcoming and present the best they have to offer,” says Emily Baime Michaels, executive director of the Midtown Association. “The artists have taken that and brought it to life.” Baime Michaels and colleagues envisioned the project as a way to spruce up Midtown’s alleyways. They started with a dumpster behind 16 Powerhouse, a Bay Miri development at 16th and P streets. “This activation piece was personal to me,” says Andy Duong, the artist whose work graces the large metal receptacle. “I had an apartment that looked into the alley and down at that
dumpster. I thought, if I can change my view, why not change it with something I can make beautiful?” Duong was designing marketing materials for restaurants, bars and nightclubs at the time, so when building owner (and longtime friend) Miri came to him with the project, it was a perfect fit. Duong wanted to create something fun and “Instagrammable” that paid homage to Sacramento’s natural beauty. “It’s a dichotomy of trash and refuse being notoriously ugly and making that more beautiful, so I went with watercolors,” he says. Duong’s two designs—one watercolor nature scene and a rendering of bike chains and hearts— were a hit, and led to similar projects for him at other Miri developments,
including The Hardin at 7th and K streets. “As artists, we naturally want our work to be front and center and be seen by as many people as possible,” Duong says, “but sometimes in life, some artwork should be a glint of happiness, something beautiful that pecks at you and makes you smile.” Following the success of the dumpster wraps, Midtown Association turned to another mundane object: utility boxes. In 2021, the association approached artist Brandon Gastinell about wrapping electric utility boxes at Winn Park. The digital pop artist had recently completed a large-scale vinyl wrap mural at 16th and J streets for Wide Open Walls, so he was familiar with the process and jumped at the chance.
