Four Seasons Garden Club sponsored the rose art on this utility box at Loop 323 and Troup Highway in Tyler, pictured here on Thursday June 7, 2018. Organizations can sponsor a vinyl wrap on metal electrical boxes in Tyler as part of the Beauty and the Box program. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

One work of art wrapped around a Tyler utility box this year offers drivers a birds-eye view of downtown, while another reminds those at a busy intersection to take time to smell the roses.

Since Keep Tyler Beautiful began the Beauty and the Box program in 2016, 26 traffic boxes have now been wrapped in vinyl that depicts various works of art.

Nine traffic boxes in the city have been wrapped this year, with the number growing as more local businesses, organizations and community members reach out to Keep Tyler Beautiful to sponsor boxes.

Keep Tyler Beautiful operates under the city of Tyler and has a mission to encourage beautification, waste reduction and recycling activities in the community.

“What we are looking for are images that are inviting and invigorating, so if people drive by it instills a sense of creativity and happiness and just brings some life to our street corners,” Angela Cardoza, community coordinator at Keep Tyler Beautiful said.

The newest box to be unveiled sits near the intersection of Troup Highway and Loop 323. Sponsored by the Four Seasons Garden Club, members of the club selected the box as their 2018 project.

When choosing what would go on their box, members selected an image that fit in with the club’s goal of bringing awareness and interest to the beauty of the environment so that it can be preserved for future generations. The box features an image of what has been registered with the American Rose Society to have the name “Tyler.”

Photographer and artist Linda Davidson took the photo of the rose in the garden of Dr. Preston and Marsha Harrison, of Tyler. Mrs. Harrison is a member of the Four Seasons Garden Club, while fellow member Janet Burks’s husband Larry help lead the process of creating the official Tyler rose in the ‘90s.

“It was a group decision,” Jan Payne, outgoing president of the Four Seasons Garden Club said. “We looked at several shots and we just thought it was so emblematic of Tyler’s past and present.”

On a traffic box located near Bergfeld Park and in front of a Walgreens, the Northeast Texas Public Health District sponsored a colorful work that encourages hand washing and healthy eating.

“We wanted to remind the public about basic health behaviors that everyone can do to help keep themselves and their families safe,” George Roberts, CEO of NET Health said. “These messages apply to everyone, regardless of income, race, age, ethnicity or seating position within their vehicle as they pass along South Broadway, or if they are jogging or riding their bike along the sidewalk.”

Other boxes wrapped this year range from those that embrace nature, to abstract paintings and more. Cardoza said many who sponsor the boxes chose pre-approved local artworks from Gallery Main Street. Other works must be approved.

The price to sponsor a small box is $540, while a large box is $595. Those prices include the price of creating and installing the wrap and a $250 stipend for the artist whose work is selected.

Several of those who have participated said they found it was a neat way to send out positive vibes while also contributing to a beautification project.

“NET Health is happy to have been given the opportunity to support Keep Tyler Beautiful and we wanted to have something that would provide a daily reminder to focus on healthy habits,” Roberts said.

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For more information about the Beauty and the Box program, or how to sponsor a box, contact Angela Cardoza at 903-595-7217 or email at acardoza@tylertexas.com. Information can also be found at www.KeepTylerBeautiful.com.