Native birds and flowers come to life through utility box art at UCLA

Gray hunks of metal, now awash and alive with color, are making a splash at intersections across the UCLA campus.

Traffic signal control cabinets for UCLA, which regulate light timing and sequencing to ensure a safe and efficient flow of vehicles and pedestrians, will now also direct Bruins and visitors' attention through art. Today, these utility boxes feature memorable paintings of birds, flowers and other imagery. The art project was brought to life by UCLA Transportation, as part of the UCLA Semel Healthy Campus Initiative (HCI) Center BEWell (Built Environment) Pod.

When the vinyl wraps previously decorating the outdoor cabinets housing the electronic equipment for managing traffic lights and pedestrian crossings began to fade, there was an opportunity to refresh the art. Overseeing these cabinets, UCLA Transportation, through the involvement with HCI's BEWell Pod, which includes cityLAB UCLA, an architecture and urban design research center, invited students and the campus community to share ideas and shape the themes for the traffic utility boxes.

UCLA connected with Beautify Earth, a mural and street art charity that partners with independent local artists, who recruited L.A.-based muralist John Park, a specialist in public art and large-scale canvases, to put his fine art touches on the 14 otherwise nondescript utility boxes, with illustrations of indigenous species living among Bruins on campus.

Park suggested the birds and flowers - a classic subject matter for murals. Guiding the process was a list of the species of UCLA's Sage Hill, a native habitat in north campus. Also contributing was Park's partner at home and work: wife Julie Hunter, who covers graphic and background elements, while Park focuses on the three-dimensional aspects.

Spray paint and exterior latex house paint in hand, utility boxes are a first for Park, who has lots of murals around L.A. and other parts of Southern California. Working 10 to 12 hours a day, each six-foot-tall box took an average of three to four days to complete. Painting commenced in July 2025, with the last stroke completed at the end of October.

In addition to sparrow, finch, hummingbird, bluebird, sage, thistle, cactus and periwinkle portraits, there are images of recycling, wind and solar power, wellness and sustainable transportation, including a bicyclist and an electric bus. All the designs are meant to convey and bring awareness to a healthier connection to nature, healthier forms of transportation and healthier sources of energy.

The beautified boxes draw the attention of people walking by, including students, faculty members, health care staff from the medical offices and hospital, Westwood neighbors and many Bruin birders.

"I have to say, I think this is probably the project that I've had the most positive community feedback on," Park said.

Park specifically singled out the Facilities Management and Transportation staff who frequently drove by.

"They have been the most vocal, the most supportive: so friendly, helping with places to park closer to the box, and dropping off bottles of water, so amazing," Park said.

These boxes can be spotted at La Kretz Hall, the School of Public Health, Weyburn Terrace and Westwood Plaza, and along streets including Charles E. Young Drive North and South, Gayley, Kinross, and Tiverton.

Looking ahead, UCLA Transportation is signaling further transformations for campus spaces under the department's purview, including a parklet in front of Medical Plaza, to create a pleasant waiting area for people, and enhancements to the pedestrian tunnel near the Westholme/Hilgard bus stop, with more mural art.

HCI's BeWell Pod focuses on enhancing campus spaces to positively impact health, happiness, and wellbeing, with the goal of this project to "bring a moment of joy to everyone passing by, said Zenia Chamorro, senior planner with mobility planning and traffic systems at UCLA Transportation.