The Transformer Cabinet Murals project in Fort Collins is a creative placemaking initiative that transforms ordinary electrical utility boxes into vibrant works of public art. Launched by Art in Public Places (APP) in 2004, this ongoing program beautifies city infrastructure while promoting local artists and community identity. Key Features of the Project - Turning Utilities into Canvases More than 375 transformer cabinets across Fort Collins have been hand-painted with colorful, site-specific designs, turning eyesores into artistic landmarks. - Local Artist Engagement Each mural is designed and painted by local artists, selected through a competitive process. This empowers the creative community and fosters a sense of ownership and pride. - Graffiti Prevention The artwork also serves a functional purpose—reducing graffiti and vandalism on public utility boxes by turning them into respected visual art pieces. - Themes of Community & Nature Many murals reflect local culture, wildlife, history, and landscapes, helping reinforce Fort Collins’ unique identity and connection to place. - Accessible Public Art Scattered throughout parks, sidewalks, and intersections, the murals make art part of everyday life, accessible to all residents and visitors without needing to enter a gallery. Why It Matters The Transformer Cabinet Murals project shows how small-scale, low-cost interventions can have a big impact on placemaking, transforming the mundane into the memorable. It brings beauty, creativity, and local storytelling to the streets of Fort Collins—one utility box at a time.

Mural Mile began as a grassroots effort to transform a community using murals as the catalyst for change. Mural Mile has received world wide recognition and celebration. It provides backdrops for the LA film industry, tourism for Pacoima, and a new point of pride for the San Fernando Valley.

his project brought together local artists and residents to design and paint a mural that reflects the neighborhood’s resilience after the pandemic. The mural incorporates cultural motifs, symbols of unity, and narratives contributed by participants during community workshops. The mural serves as both a healing initiative and a permanent piece of public art that strengthens community identity.

In the neighborhood of Lavapiés, Madrid, there is a mural that depicts the multiculturalism of the neighborhood with the common theme shared by several religious communities of the ritual of hygiene, specifically, cleansing one's feet.

Mural Mile represents artists and neighborhoods looking to improve their city through art and community.

A mural painted on the side of Right Coast Pizza. It depicts a cartoonish likeness of artist Franky Scaglione, holding a pizza.

The NoBo Art District is a vibrant and growing creative community located in North Boulder, dedicated to making art an essential part of everyday life. Established in 2009, NoBo brings together local artists, galleries, studios, and businesses to transform the urban landscape through public art, cultural events, and creative engagement. Key Features of the NoBo Art District: -Public Art and Murals NoBo is home to an extensive collection of outdoor murals, sculptures, and art installations that animate the streets and public spaces, creating a walkable, inspiring urban environment. - First Friday Art Walks Every first Friday of the month, NoBo hosts an open studio and gallery walk, where artists open their doors to the community, offering live music, exhibitions, workshops, and cultural performances. - Support for Local Artists The district provides affordable studio spaces and supports emerging and established artists through exhibitions, professional development, and public exposure. - Community-Driven Placemaking With initiatives like art-integrated wayfinding signs, temporary pop-up exhibits, and creative gathering spaces, NoBo fosters a sense of community identity and connection. - Partnerships and Inclusivity NoBo collaborates with the City of Boulder, nonprofits, and local businesses to ensure that diverse voices and artists from different backgrounds are included in shaping the district’s creative future.

Cape Town is nothing if not a melting pot of cultures. The Woodstock street art demonstrates this particularly well. With urban murals on every corner, Woodstock is a must-visit for street art fans visiting Cape Town, South Africa.

Lined with North African small stores and graffiti-covered walls, this neighborhood defies any conventional expectations you might have about France. Its defining feature is La Friche Belle de Mai, an arts center built inside a former tobacco factory. At first glance, it looks like a colorful skatepark—but if you venture further, you’ll find a cafe and bookstore, art exhibitions, and a local market. Nearby, there’s also a one-screen theater, Cinema Le Gyptis. It may be initially hard to identify, but it’s impossible to miss, because it’s covered in black-and-white portraits. They were created by a street artist, JR, who installed a photo booth to capture images of local residents, and then pasted the photographs onto the theatre facade. This large-format street pasting is just one of many pieces that JR created for his “Inside Out” project, a TED-funded initiative that transforms messages of personal identity into works of art.

The Maboneng Precinct is a creative, vibrant neighbourhood located on the East side of Johannesburg’s inner-city, in South Africa. Maboneng is a Sesotho word that means “place of light”. In a still economically fragmented and racially divided Johannesburg, Maboneng is an innovative urban environment that encourage diversity in terms of uses, races, income, ages. It is also now one of the most renowned creative districts in the world.