In Kingfield, an innovative program that cuts down grafitti by wrapping often-tagged utility boxes with local photography has been a resounding success, spurring a possible expansion of the program to other parts of the city. 

The utility boxes, which currently sit at 25 intersections across Kingfield, are covered with brightly colored wrap that's printed with locally-made photography. 

Sarah Linnes-Robinson, Executive Director of the Kingfield Neighborhood Association, said the images serve as a deterrent to vandalization and provide an easily cleanable surface if they're tagged. For instance, a pilot box that went up at Nicollet Avenue and 38th Street in July 2009 has fared better than its unwrapped neighbor, she said.

"It had this neon green graffiti on it," Linnes-Robinson said. "I was able to get it off with soap and water in a few minutes." The unwrapped utility box next to the pilot project was also tagged at the same time. To clean it, Linnes-Robinson said, she used engine degreaser and 20 minutes of scrubbing, and still only a portion of the graffiti came off. 

The program started in 2009 when the Kingfield Neighborhood Association's Green Committee was looking for a way to preempt the grafitti that was endemic on the city's utility boxes, settling on the graffiti-resistant 3M wrap that could be printed with images.

After receiving a $9,350 grant from the City of Minneapolis Solid Waste and Recycling, the first box went up as a pilot project at Nicollet Avenue and 38th Street in July 2009.

At the start of the project , the Kingfield Neighborhood Association put out a call for images taken in Kingfield. The invitation was open to photographers and community members alike, but all images were to complete the statement, "Kingfield is..."

Tom Reynen is an amateur photographer who lived in Kingfield for 13 years and saw this as a way to give back to his old stomping grounds. Reynen's entry was titled "Kingfield is organic" and his image features the Kingfield Farmers Market.

"I have enjoyed visiting the Farmers Market many times during the summer and fall and think of this utility box art as a way to remember it all year long," Reynen said. "I hope people enjoy its bright colors during the dead of winter."

Ilene Mojsilov, Kingfield resident for 24 years, contributed the photograph for the utility box at 38th Street and Pleasant Avenue.

"The Kingfield Utility Box project was an intriguing challenge for me," Mojsilov said. "I was able to translate my shadow photographs to a three dimensional form. This opportunity stretched me creatively and connected me to the neighborhood beyond my block."

So far, Linnes-Robinson says, the response has been very positive. With the success of the project, there has been talk of expanding it within Kingfield and beyond.

"I'm definitely looking to expand it within the neighborhood and having conversations with the city about how we can expand it within Minneapolis," Linnes-Robinson said. 

"I think it's just such a fantastic project," Elizabeth Glidden, Kingfield resident and Minneapolis City Council member for Ward 8." It brings art into a community in such a visible and meaningful way."

As for the future, Glidden notes there are a few different ways this project could be expanded throughout Minneapolis, such as city grants for graffiti prevention or partnering with utility companies. 

"My hope is that this might be able to be replicated in other neighborhoods ," Glidden said. "I personally am really interested in seeing how we can broaden this."