BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — 8 electrical boxes along Chester Avenue in Downtown Bakersfield recently got a makeover courtesy of Keep Bakersfield Beautiful. The KBB committee selected local artist Ana Cortez from the group of contenders to decorate the electrical boxes.
Keep Bakersfield Beautiful was founded in 2001 with the goal of enacting projects like litter cleanups and graffiti removal in order to, well, keep Bakersfield beautiful.
KBB committee chair Brooks Douglass says the painting project is intended to create a space that is culturally reflective of the area.
"It started with the economic summit last year in October, where we had people coming from outside Bakersfield. We wanted to make sure we had kept the same theme, a cultural theme, so when people drive down Chester, they see a consistent theme of all the culture that we have here in Bakersfield," said Douglass.
The committee says it chose Cortez' work because they believed her ideas best conveyed the local culture of Bakersfield.
"I was excited because that was my second project for the community, and it was my first time painting on this type of material, because I work with canvas, so it's a little bit different," said Cortez.
Cortez says she was out on Chester for a combined 80 hours completing the 8 murals on the electrical boxes. Though the vision was her own, she did get some help.
"I was working with my dad and my mom, and also sometimes my brother. I drew the sketch and they helped with the colors. I really focus on these murals to bring colors. It plays with colors," said Cortez.
KBB wanted the art on the electrical boxes to reflect the community here, meaning Cortez had to ask herself some questions before she could get started.
"Okay, what makes the community? I was like, 'The people.' So I wanted to put here different jobs that we see around here," explained Cortez. "You see around, you see farmers, businessmen, industrial workers, college students, and kids."
Cortez says community projects like the KBB electrical box painting project are necessary, and she hopes to get the opportunity to participate in more community projects in the future.
"I just really like seeing art around Bakersfield, so I feel like the murals just bring a little bit more vibrance. It gives life to a space," said Cortez. "I just want to inspire people with my art now that I can do it."
