Ripple-makers team up to spread their message
AMANDA BANCROFT
Making Ripples
Some ripple-makers work quietly in our own homes, while others bravely take to the streets to perform their service. They help the world in the heat of day, during a pandemic, or in the dark, or in the rain, and with a box and near a train (like Dr. Seuss’s Sam-I-am). Retired science teacher and Master Naturalist Kelly Magoulick and University of Arkansas student Mollie Nichols teamed up to paint a box as part of the city of Fayetteville’s Utility Box Art Program.
Friends Kelly Magoulick and Mollie Nichols teamed up to repaint a utility box at the corner of Gregg and Sycamore streets in Fayetteville. The images include native plants, Monarch butterflies, an admonishment to “Save The Bees,” and a Banksy-style little girl proclaiming, “There Is Always Hope.” (Courtesy Photos/Kelly Magoulick)
It started with the Banksy girl stenciled on the utility box located at the intersection of Gregg and Sycamore streets. As Magoulick drove past the box day after day for years, she grew fond of the lonely girl and her story. England-based graffiti artist Banksy is the creator of the “Banksy girl” design, which originally featured an image of a girl reaching for a red balloon with the words “There Is Always Hope.” Magoulick would drive past, see the girl, smile and feel like somehow everything was going to be OK. When she saw the city advertising for painters to paint this box, she realized she had to save the girl and incorporate her into a new artwork.
She invited her friend, artist Mollie Nichols, to help her realize her vision. After a highly competitive application period, they learned that their design had been selected. The girl would be saved! Next, they had to come up with supplies. They researched and bought highly saturated, pigmented paints that were recommended based on quality. Today there is a stipend offered to artists to cover the cost of materials.
This duo would paint around Nichols’ class schedule, often in the dark with head lamps or in extreme heat or cold. They paused when the train would go past, its shrill whistle piercing the air and the artists’ ears. One of the most uplifting moments for Nichols was when a driver stopped at the light, rolled down her window, and yelled that their painted box was her favorite one. At this busy intersection, walkers and drivers would encourage them and shout Save the Bees! Over a year later, they are finally finished.
Magoulick’s design is of the Banksy girl on a drab background that changes to blue at her outstretched hand, with flowers transforming into Monarch butterflies and the words “There Is Always Hope.” The artists’ message is that it’s not too late for the earth, and that we can all do something positive for the environment.
Friends Kelly Magoulick and Mollie Nichols teamed up to repaint a utility box at the corner of Gregg and Sycamore streets in Fayetteville. The images include native plants, Monarch butterflies, an admonishment to “Save The Bees,” and a Banksy-style little girl proclaiming, “There Is Always Hope.” (Courtesy Photos/Kelly Magoulick)
Around the panels of the box, you can see various native plant species including: dogwood (Cronus florida), fire pink (Silene virginica), butterfly weed (Asclepius tuberosa), phlox (Phlox paniculate), Bluet (Houstonia pusilla), yellow coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima), and violet wood sorrel (Oxalis violacea). One bright yellow panel encourages viewers to Save the Bees as pollinators of our food supply, and another exhibits the flight of Monarch butterflies. Native mushroom species star in the artwork, too, including the morel mushroom (Morchella esculenta), turkey tail (Trametes versicolor), indigo milk cap (Lactarius indigo), scarlet elf cup (Sarcosypha coccinea), and fly agaric (Amanita muscaria). The duo hopes to do a QR code that will provide the scientific names of each species depicted in the painting and why the artists chose each one.
Want to explore more artwork around town? Find images of Utility Box Art on the Fayetteville Art Walk interactive map at https://maps.fayetteville-ar.gov/PublicArt.
Amanda Bancroft is a writer, artist, and naturalist living in an off-grid tiny house on Kessler Mountain. She and her husband Ryan blog about their adventures and offer tips to those wanting to make a difference at www.RipplesBlog.org.
