AMHERST — Three utility boxes in downtown Amherst will become a canvas for artists later this year as part of a Amherst Public Art Commission project.
The commission recently received a $1,400 “Enlivening Public Spaces” grant from the Amherst Cultural Council that will provide painters the resources to dress up the utility boxes on North Pleasant Street in the Amherst Cultural District.
Commission member Amy Crawley told the Select Board at a meeting earlier this month that ideas will be solicited from local artists interested in participating and placing this art in downtown.
The art would enhance the downtown streetscape and could reduce graffiti, Crawley said.
The boxes that will be painted are at the corner of Main Street in front of Subway restaurant, in front of St. Brigid’s Church and near Bruegger’s Bagels.
A $350 stipend will be given to each artist, and donations from local businesses may be sought for supplies, Crawley said.
The artists would make their creations in mid September, with the public invited to view the work as it is happening.
Similar projects have taken place in Northampton, where starting in 2013 Belchertown artist Peter O. Zierlein began working on utility boxes in its downtown, and in Greenfield, where utility boxes were painted over the past couple of years in its Downtown Crossroads Cultural District.
Five years ago in Amherst, a utility box at the corner of Dickinson and Main streets, near the Dickinson Museum, was painted with the words “Emily’s Corner” by artist Ezzell Floranina. That work was commissioned by local business Stakeholders Capital, with support from several other businesses.
With groundbreaking nearing for the North Square at the Mill District mixed-use project in North Amherst, W.D. Cowls is creating a mini job site near the Atkins’ North Amherst grocery store to give children excited by big rigs and heavy equipment a place to pretend.
Cinda Jones, president of W.D. Cowls, said she and her brother Evan remember watching her father build Riverside Park on Montague Road and riding on the backhoes when they weren’t in use.
“As adults we’re fascinated by construction sites and we want to share this passion with kids who visit The Mill District,” Jones said.
East of the ice cream stand at Atkins, Jones said a sand box will feature millstones and rock slabs, model trucks, backhoes and excavators and actual plans for the North Square project.
As part of this mini job site, a librarian from the North Amherst Library will host Sandbox Story Time on Mondays from 2-3 p.m. from June 25 to Aug. 6.
An open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the John P. Musante Health Center at the Bangs Community Center will be held June 2 at 10 a.m.
The new center is named after the late town manager who advocated for a place that would one day serve residents’ medical, dental and behavioral health needs, no matter their income level or immigration status.
Those who want to attend should RSVP by May 24 to Janet Laroche at 238-4118 or jlaroche@hchcweb.org
The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce is soliciting nominations for the A+ Awards, which will be given to individuals and organizations that enrich the life of the community through their work in education, business and civic engagement.
Nominees can live and work in communities the chamber serves, including Amherst, Belchertown, Hadley, Leverett, Pelham, Shutesbury and Sunderland, as well as the Pioneer Valley.
All nominations should be submitted by May 31 to president@amherstarea.com.
The Amherst Woman’s Club is marking its 125th anniversary with an open house at its 35 Triangle St. headquarters Friday from 4-6 p.m.
The public is welcome to the event, which will include brief talks by local leaders and refreshments.
MONDAY: Jones Library Inc. Budget Committee, 9:05 a.m., Goodwin Room, Jones Library; Select Board, 6 p.m., middle school band room; Town Meeting, 7 p.m., middle school auditorium.
TUESDAY: Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee, 6:30 p.m., high school library.
WEDNESDAY: Transportation Advisory Committee, 4:30 p.m., Town Room, Town Hall; Select Board, 6 p.m., middle school band room; Town Meeting, 7 p.m., middle school auditorium.
THURSDAY: Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m., Town Room, Town Hall.