West Seattle artist Grave Hansen (whose artist moniker is Desmond Hansen) has been out painting lately. But not houses or doing graffiti, he's honoring Seattle icons by putting their portraits on traffic signal boxes. Westside Seattle told you about his painting of music legend Jimi Hendrix in the Morgan Street Junction and since then he's gone on to paint Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and martial arts movie star Bruce Lee. But the fee to get permission to do this from SDOT is $175 and he's aiming at continuing by painting living icons like Russell Wilson and others and is asking for your help. 

Hansen has started a GoFundMe page and is seeking the modest sum of $2000 total to help beautify these older signal boxes that could use some enhancement in any case.

His page states "I'm raising money for supplies to paint small fine art murals on the traffic boxes around West Seattle. I'm in need of brushes, Paint, Tape, Drop Cloths, Respirator filters, Gloves, Clear coat, and much more. Most of these boxes are filthy and covered in ugly blotches of gray paint the city has used to cover graffiti over the years. After researching and coordinating I found that as a professional artist, donating my time and skills is a great way for me to give back to the community. Unfortunately the city does not have a dedicated budget for the project so I'm left with the choice of funding the project on my own at first."

The City of Seattle actually has a policy about programming public spaces with that covers parklets (tiny parks), sidewalk cafes, vending boxes, newsstands  and much more including Traffic Signal Boxes like the one in Morgan Junction.

Their city website page states: 

"Traffic signal boxes are located at every signalized intersection in Seattle. Adding art to signal boxes provides a way to showcase a neighborhood or business district’s identity and discourage graffiti. Signal boxes can be decorated with paint, decals, and vinyl wraps, as long as boxes remain accessible (i.e., keyholes exposed).  Artists can be commissioned, photos added, or maps installed on the signal boxes. Artists are encouraged to create designs that contribute to the visual quality of streetscapes and create a unified aesthetic between signal boxes. SDOT must review all materials and designs and issue a Public Space permit  before signal box artwork can be installed. Cabinet artwork should never cover or paint over keyholes, cores, or keyhole cover plates on any part of the cabinet to avoid these access points from being painted shut). A Public Space permit  is required for signal box art with an associated renewal fee. Permittees are responsible for maintenance of the traffic signal box artwork. 

More information on permitting signal box artwork can be found on the SDOT Street Use website  and in Client Assistance Memo 2505 ."