KPAC approves cat-themed utility-box wrap, sets design guidance for future submissions

The Keizer Public Arts Committee voted to approve a children’s cat-themed design for a utility-box wrap and agreed to give artists a template for future submissions.

"I move to approve the cat art for the box wrap," said Mario, a committee member, who made the motion; the committee approved it by voice vote. Members said the final placement of the wrap will be determined after staff circulates a map of available boxes.

Committee members spent much of the session debating whether individual boxes should display four separate images (one per side) or one continuous, wraparound image. "I think the boxes that have design continuity or theme continuity ... make sense rather than four separate pictures," the liaison said, urging a single continuous image that can wrap the four sides.

Members suggested site-specific themes for certain locations. One topic raised was a sports theme tied to McNary High School — "McNary sports, and we could do soccer, football, baseball..." a member said — and they discussed approaching existing artists to see if they would adapt their work to fit a theme or a template.

Mario, who spoke in favor of using emerging artists, called the children’s submission "great" and said he "loved" the panda and cat concepts that had been proposed. The committee asked Stacy to prepare a template for artists and tasked staff to confirm box sizes and available locations before the committee assigns exact sites.

The motion approving the cat-design wrap included the condition that staff will determine placement and return locations to the committee for final approval.

The committee did not vote on a uniform policy to require continuous wraps or to ban darker colors, but members noted concerns that very dark paint can increase heat on electrical boxes and that artists should account for box dimensions and wraps' three-dimensional conversion.