Environmental Education Traffic Signal Box Art

Font Size: + -

Feedback Print

West Des Moines is a vibrant place of natural beauty. The City of West Des Moines is committed to using practices that demonstrate environmental stewardship and creating opportunities for residents and visitors to encounter everyday ways to learn about our environment. Environmental education connects us to the world around us, teaching us about both natural and built ecosystems. It raises awareness of issues impacting the biosphere upon which we all depend, as well as actions we can take to improve and sustain it.

The West Des Moines Public Arts Commission has provided an opportunity for everyday environmental education in the community through public art. The Commission wants every person who experiences the artwork to learn about the challenges our society faces, from climate change to decreasing access to nature, as well as threats to natural species and habitats. It is the hope of the Commission that the Environmental Education Traffic Signal Box Art project will create awareness about environmental issues and help residents and visitors make intelligent, informed decisions about how they can help take care of our natural resources.

Using funds provided to the City of West Des Moines through a Metro Waste Authority Environmental Enhancement Grant, the project consists of eight (8) identified traffic signal boxes on public property in West Des Moines which are wrapped in vinyl designs. Each artistic design calls viewers’ attention to a specific environmental education topic. Thus, public art not only enhances what is often seen as visual clutter in a city but also communicates to the public the ways in which their actions can affect the environmental health of the community.

A public art work group was formed to determine the details of the project, including artwork locations, design, and artist selection. Member of the Environmental Education Traffic Signal Box Public Art Work Group were:

Amenda Tate - WDM citizen, local artist	Joshua Duden - WDM citizen
Joe Cory - Deputy Public Services Director	David Sadler - Parks Superintendent
Diane Boyd - Public Arts Advisory Commissioner	Marnie Strate - Arts, Culture & Enrich. Coord. (ex officio)
Allison Ullestad - Arts, Culture & Enrich. Supr. (ex officio)	Sally Ortgies - Director of Parks & Recreation (ex officio)

Clint Hansen was hired to create the artwork for the Environmental Education Traffic Signal Box Art project. Hansen is an Iowa native and fifth generation artist designing and hand-crafting one-of-a-kind scratchboard renderings for gallery, commercial and home settings. His award-winning art is represented in private, public and corporate collections. You can view more of Hansen's work at www.clinthansen.com.

Alamega Communications, Inc. fabricated and installed each of the eight vinyl wraps.