Utility Box Art Project

Last week was amazing.  In my previous post I talked about the art utility box project that I was invited to be part of.  Week before last one of my paintings was scanned and printed then installed on two utility boxes that stand side by side located on 3300 South and 300 West in South Salt Lake.

Last Thursday there was a media event held on the location of the boxes where several news channels where there to interview the Mayor of South Salt Lake City, Cherie Wood and the project director, Glenn Smith and to also feature me as an artist.  What an opportunity for me!!  I get nervous seeing and hearing myself on camera but this was an opportunity I could not pass up. 

Soon after I returned to work that day another news channel called asking if they could interview me in their studio that afternoon.  A quick outfit change and back to the city I go.  I was pretty nervous after I arrived at the studio.  I’d never been on the live news before and I wasn’t certain what questions they would ask me. 

See the news clip here:

http://www.cw30.com/content/news/state/story/Utah-artist-s-mission-is-to-beautify-South-Salt/q9HJz-rjLkKSWMmbt2y_jg.cspx

I’ll never be comfortable seeing and hearing myself on camera but I feel like Channel 4 did a good job and made a nice story of the project. 

The Deseret News also sent a reporter who talked to me and the story ran in Sunday’s paper.  It was a very nice article and I am delighted that they wanted to write about me and my art.  I was not totally thrilled with the headline which reads “Disabled woman takes leap of courage and gets her art on display”.  It was such a nice article but I don’t love the term Disabled Woman and prefer woman with a disability.  I know my art and disability walk close together.  I realize that the disability side might lead me to opportunities that might not otherwise come but my hope is that people see my art more then they see the disability.

Deseret News article:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865589199/Disabled-woman-takes-leap-of-courage-sees-her-artwork-on-display-in-South-Salt-Lake.html

From that story my information was given to a talk radio host who set up an over the phone interview which took place yesterday.  I was interviewed by Abby Bonell, a radio host with a fantastic British accent! The interview will play on the radio Sunday morning at 7:15 on My 99.5, 97.1 ZHT, Rock 106.6, Oldies KODJ and again Sunday night at 7:15 105.7 Talk Radio.

It’s been so exciting for me to have these opportunities.  It makes me feel happy that other people are connecting and responding to my artwork in positive ways.  I’m so luck and incredibly blessed to do something I love and have others appreciate it.  It’s an honor for me to have my art on display in a public place where people thousands of people will see it every day.  I hope that if people look at it, it will bring happiness to their heart, if even for just a brief moment.