Why can't we do it here?

That's the question Welland's Aldo Parrotta asked himself after noticing brightly painted Bell boxes while visiting his daughter in Toronto.

"I saw them on the streets and thought it would be a good way to beautify the city or maybe display our civic identity," the graphic designer said.

After meeting with Michael Cavanaugh, the man who started the Bell Box Mural Project in 2009 in Toronto, Parrotta brought the idea to Welland city council. Last year, he made a presentation and asked for $13,200 in funding to paint Bell boxes in the city.

"I thought it was something council could connect with."

After his pitch, council put the request in the 2020 budget, and it was approved. The funds will come out of the recreation and culture fund.

"It was a small ask," Parrotta said, adding the total added up to 0.03 per cent of what the city will bring in from taxes.

Though the city will fund the project, which will see a yet to be determined number of boxes painted, Parrotta said a tough pill for him to swallow was learning some of the funds will go toward administering the project.

"There's just no way around it."

But he said the project will be customized and tailored to Welland and allow for more boxes to be painted at one time.

Artists will receive $750 to paint one box. If there are a few in one area a single artist or a group may be able to paint all, but for the same price.

Parrotta said in the area of Woodlawn Road and Trelawn Parkway there are four Bell boxes. One artist or a group could do all four of those, giving their art more exposure to residents.

"A few artists have already approached me . they are really and willing to go. Eventually, a call for artists will go out."

Parrotta has a Facebook page for the project - facebook.com/thewellandbellboxmuralsproject. Interested artists can contact him through it.

To qualify, artists must live in the area where there is a Bell box and will have to submit some of their past art, be open and available to work on the project for a few days and lay out what they'd like to paint.

"They don't want anything negative or obscene . the point is to beautify the city with something vibrant, colourful and creative."

Parrotta is in the process of identifying boxes in high-traffic areas, such as Niagara Street and Woodlawn Road. He'll submit which ones he'd like to see done first and Cavanaugh will work with Bell to see if the company will give the green light for them.

"Instead of having busted up or open brown boxes, we'll have them covered in art and hopefully people will respect that art."

The project would take place between June and September.

"I want this to be local artists. I want to expose the artists we have in this city," said Parrotta, who paints and took art at Niagara College.

He eventually wants to see an art gallery in the city, something like Grimsby Public Art Gallery, which features exhibits and offers art classes and workshops. It would be open to all kinds of artists, including oil painters, graphic artists and photographers.

"Grimsby is a small community . we're growing here, we should be able to have one."

Nathaniel.Johnson@niagaradailies.com

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- Welland council to consider spending $13,000 on Bell Box Murals Project