Freshly painted electrical boxes in the streets of North Park are not only adding a \u201csparkle\u201d to pedestrian paths, but to the artists who painted them, the boxes are expressions of positivity and friendship within the community.<\/p>\n \u201cThe real thing we wanted to do [with the painted boxes] is to just make our district sparkle,\u201d said Jake Romero, assistant director of North Park Main Street Association. \u201c[We also want] to really highlight that there\u2019s still amazing art in North Park. People forget that there\u2019s good art and live art.\u201d<\/p>\n On March 31, 10 artists spent the day painting their original designs on boxes throughout the neighborhood. The artists were selected through an application process put on by North Park Main Street (NPMS). Though boxes in North Park have been painted in the past, this was the first time NPMS put on an event for the public to come out and interact with the artists as they painted.<\/p>\n There was live music as well as restaurant and store specials during the event. Local musicians Jasmine Bailey, Nate Hess, Drew Smith and Matthew Armstrong performed in front of local storefronts.<\/p>\n Normal Heights artist Taina Berardi hopes her box will \u201cinspire people to create art.\u201d She painted the San Diego mountains, desert and coastline in vibrant colors on her box.<\/p>\n \u201cColors express a lot of emotion and get people happier and more excited,\u201d Berardi said. \u201c[My box] is very much in the style of Mexican pottery or Mexican art, so that was my homage to my culture. We are also a border city, so there\u2019s a lot of influence being so close to Mexico, and a lot of our residents speak Spanish.\u201d<\/p>\n Berardi recently started her own jewelry and art company, Jewel of the Gypsy, after spending the last 12 years in the corporate tech world. She sells her jewelry online via her Etsy shop and at various farmers markets throughout San Diego.<\/p>\n Her art, including her box, is inspired by her \u201cwanderlust\u201d life and global view. This year\u2019s box was her first physical mural in a public space.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of last year I decided to explore my art further, and creating this box was kind of at the crossroads of that,\u201d Berardi said.<\/p>\n Mandy Jouan, another participant who lives in Vista, painted neon rabbits on her box. She too hopes her box will bring a smile to the passerby.<\/p>\n \u201cI love black lights and bright colors, and I just really like rabbits,\u201d Jouan said. \u201cHopefully [my box] is something to just make people happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Jouan said she\u2019s thankful for the chance to paint and bring playfulness to North Park.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t [paint a box] for money; I didn\u2019t do it for exposure,\u201d Jouan said. \u201cI know when I was painting it, there were so many people that stopped by who were just so excited to have something in their neighborhood look better.\u201d<\/p>\n Berardi said she loved the positive energy radiating from community members who stopped by to watch her and her husband at work during the nine hours it took them to complete the box.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we were painting the box, it was such a great feeling because people from the neighborhood and outside the neighborhood were thanking us, and sitting there, and being so grateful on a Saturday that we were beautifying the neighborhood,\u201d Berardi said. \u201cIt makes me happy that I\u2019m living in a community where people acknowledge and give value to art on a larger scale.\u201d<\/p>\n Uptown\u2019s urban art scene is growing, according to Berardi. She encourages artists to keep creating and be on the lookout for future art contests and chances to paint boxes. Normal Heights Urban Art Association will soon be calling for artists to paint electrical boxes in their neighborhood.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to give back to the community,\u201d Berardi said. \u201cI think there\u2019s a lot of budding young artists out there who given the opportunity would create amazing designs.\u201d<\/p>\n Berardi hopes the newly painted boxes will remind people to care for the community and appreciate the shared urban spaces of North Park.<\/p>\n \u201cI think art creates positivity, and I know at the root of it all, people get energy from art,\u201d Berardi said. \u201cAnd therefore maybe [people will] see a little piece of trash around the area and go, \u2018You know what, I respect the person that put this art here to beautify the neighborhood, so I will do my part to beautify the neighborhood.\u2019 From visitors to residents it helps create a space where people are proud to be a part of that neighborhood and that community.\u201d<\/p>\n Find a painted box in front of these locations:<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Electrifying](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/front-page-image.jpg\")
![\"Electrifying](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/painter.jpg\")
![\"Electrifying](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/rabbit-box.jpg\")
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