Three New Traffic Boxes Painted Today, With Seven More on the Way!

On March 20, 2025, Bonnie Del Turco was hard at work painting a vibrant scene onto an electric box at the bustling intersection of Smith Enke and John Wayne Parkway in Maricopa. The hum of passing semitrucks served as a backdrop as Del Turco swayed to music, her brush sweeping confidently across the surface.

Del Turco aims to create art that uplifts the community. “I want to leave something that lifts people’s spirits,” she stated, as she meticulously added details to her piece titled “Our Beautiful Desert,” featuring a wild horse galloping through a picturesque desert.

Beside her lay a sketch illustrating her vision: one side displays a sunlit desert populated with cacti and wild horses, while the reverse presents a contrasting scene under a rising moon. This project marks her third and final contribution to the city’s public art program, after which she plans to pursue lessons in portrait painting for her grandchildren.

Previously, Del Turco contributed to the city’s aesthetic with two notable installations: the “Celestial” wild horse statue in 2021 and the “Gila River Runner” statue in 2022, both of which have become community landmarks.

Other artists also engaged in similar projects this week. Maria Froncillo completed her electric box artwork titled “Cactus Tree” at the northwest corner of White and Parker Roads, while Anise Riley Burke began work on her piece “Sun Dust” at the southwest corner of Porter and Bowlin Roads.

Burke has a strong background in public art, having painted “Friends of the Sonoran Desert” in 2023 and another wild horse statue named “Desert Freedom” nearby. Maricopa’s arts initiatives have gained momentum since 2021, when the first ten painted horse statues were unveiled as part of the “Maricopa Wild Horses” project.

In 2022, nine additional horse statues were installed, and that same year saw the introduction of the first wrapped traffic boxes. Local artists continued to beautify the city in summer 2023, showcasing designs through a combination of digital art and hand-painted techniques.

For this round of installations, each traffic box will feature exclusively hand-painted designs, according to city spokesperson Monica Williams. Additionally, areas around Maricopa are seeing the return of colorful murals, including recent work by Casa Grande artist Mauriel “Mory” Morejon at local venues.

Williams expressed excitement for the forthcoming signal box art installations, which will include contributions from seven more artists in the coming weeks. As the city embraces creativity, residents can look forward to an enriched visual landscape.