Utility Art Box Graces
the City of Santa Cruz

LGBTQ+ History Highlighted

Utility boxes across Santa Cruz county will be painted by local queer artists by May. A map showing their location and images will be shown at the time. Watch this page grow as artists are identified and begin the transformation from a grey utility box to a piece of art celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Santa Cruz Pride. 

Our artists took inspiration from the Museum of Art and History (MAH).

Music for the People! 1974

TY BROWN THEY/THEM

  • I am a college student attending UCSC and there is no place I would rather have gone to school. I feel deeply connected to this place, and it has taught me alot. I grew up in Los Angeles, and I now consider Santa Cruz to be my home. I have known I was queer since elementary school. I have found the label non-binary to be fitting for me since I have always been surrounded by the LGBTQ+ community.

  • Located at the base of the UCSC campus.

The Days Ahead are Bright

LIMINAL SPACE COLLECTIVE THEY/THEM

  • Liminal Space Art Collective is a local group of artists dedicated to building connection and facilitating change through collaborative art, immersive experiences, and sustainable innovation. We welcome members of all ages from across the county, and we create spaces where our community members can learn from each other by working together on both small and large scale art projects. We practice sustainability by centering rest and care for the needs and boundaries of our members. Too many art groups simply run as fast as they can, leading to burnout for their members and facilitators. We center our values of care for each other and our community by making space for ideas to percolate, distributing responsibilities among our members, and learning to say no to opportunities which don’t align with our mission. 

    Liminal Space is centered in Santa Cruz county. Many of our members are lifelong residents, and we view our success as directly tied to the success and sustainability of the art scene in Santa Cruz. We know that art is a powerful tool for changing culture, and in honor of that, we aim to use our art to foster conversations among our community about how to live in reciprocity with our land, our ecosystem, and the community of Santa Cruz. We have a focus on the local, and while we have had projects that took us out of the county previously, our roots are here. We are a hub for queer art in Santa Cruz, with many of our pieces directly working to combat homophobia and transphobia.

  • Located next to the Santa Cruz Town Clock

Follow Your Heart

MELISSA WEST SHE/HER

  • I moved to Santa Cruz in 2008, after my wife and I got married on the first day it was legally possible. I've been active in the Santa Cruz art scene ever since moving here, taking part in multiple Open Studios, and being a member of Gallery125 at the Tannery.  I've been out and proud since the early 1980s. I have many connections to our LGBTQ+ community, and am proud to be co-curator of the upcoming show at Pajaro Valley Arts, "Hers, His, Theirs, Ours: Queer Expression!", which will be on display in June 2025 in Watsonville.

  • Located in front of Ace hardware and across the street from the Rio Theater

Celebrating the Santa Cruz AIDS Project

CAM MCKAY HE/THEY

  • I am a painter, performer, and multimedia artist who loves colors! I have been a lifelong artist and have a BA in Fine Art and Feminist Studies from UCSC. I consider social and political activism to be a central part of my creative process. I enjoy painting from life, using unconventional color palettes, and using art to explore the vibrancy and multi textured nature of life. 

    I have lived in Santa Cruz for my entire adult life. While, admittedly, I did move here to attend UCSC, I now consider Santa Cruz my hometown. Over the years I have put down roots here and am involved in local faith and organizing communities, as well as working for a local queer-owned business, Childish Toy Shop. I cherish every day here and try to make the most of living in such a naturally beautiful place. I have found my home and my people here. In the past two years, I have been incredibly lucky to meet some cherished queer elders both in my faith community and at local queer events. I feel that nothing in my life has been more healing than finding a genuine queer community in Santa Cruz.

  • Located on the east side of Bay.

I Am Willing to Change

ALICE THEY/THEM

  • As soon as I was old enough to "run away" on the bus from San Jose, I dreamed of living in Santa Cruz. I got that chance when my mother kicked me out of the house, upon the occasion of my coming out as gay. Santa Cruz welcomed me with open arms! I found safe housing, good people and incredible artists. I became part of a co-op farm in the mountains, attended UCSC, joined the Art League and started getting involved. I now host a "Goals for Artists" group and teach collage and I also host gender inclusive monthly gatherings called the Gender Adventurers. We are celebrating our 13th year of monthly meetups, online and in person! We have thousands of members across dozens of countries, many of whom have no other outlet for their gender exploration. We have artistic events, support groups and field trips together. 

    All of my art involves assemblage, texture and intense use of color or line, instead of trying to make paint look photo-realistic.

  • Located at the top of the hill heading into downtown Santa Cruz

All Are Welcome

THE BRANCIFORTE MUSKEQUEERS ALL PRONOUNS

  • Branciforte Middle School has a long history in Santa Cruz, dating back to the 1940s. It's a unique school, in that it is very economically and racially diverse, known for its welcoming, kind, and inclusive student body. The Branciforte Middle School Muskequeers is an active QSA which includes students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade, that loves to do art, socialize, empower queer students, and educate/provide advocacy for LGBTQ students. The student group is eclectic, embodying that "all are welcome and come as you are"; their strong presence at school helps others learn about and celebrate diverse identities. Club activities often include art as a form of unique self-expression, story-telling about experiences, and to highlight awareness campaigns. The Muskequeers have been active with other organizations, such as the Diversity Center, the County Office of Education, and more recently, has been linking up with other schools' QSAs for student mixers.

  • Located just a few blocks from the Branciforte Middle School

Santa Cruz Remembers 1989

JENNIFER SOLANO SHE/HER

  • I am currently attending the UCSC Masters in Teaching Credential Program. Most of my current time is spent doing student teaching. I am studying to become an English and Spanish teacher and hope to teach in the area. I currently teach at Soquel high school and love seeing the utility boxes that are painted close to campus. During my free time I like to paint and enjoy the nature Santa Cruz has to offer.    

    I began my journey in Santa Cruz in 2018 when I moved here from Riverside County to study literature and education. I fell in love with the artist community and came back to continue my education. Attending UC Santa Cruz was a significant change because it was the first time I was away from home and could truly be myself. I lived on the queer floor of Porter College and met many chosen family members while there. Although I was out as bisexual before, coming to Santa Cruz allowed me to be out in a way I never imagined I could back home.

Joy is Queer Nightlife

BRAYDEN LILLIE HE/HIM

  • I am a first year college student at UC Santa Cruz double majoring in Studio Art and Politics. I grew up in San Diego and have been drawing since elementary school and formally painting since my junior year of high school. Art is everything to me. I live to share my art, especially if it can uplift my community, which is my greatest goal and fulfillment. Growing up, Santa Cruz was the getaway beach town my family loved. Now living in Santa Cruz, I ride the bus every day and enjoy watching the trees out the window. Watching the sun set behind the mountains have become a regular part of my life. The markets and live music around downtown and the surrounding areas have become my stomping ground, and Cowell’s Beach and Natural Bridges have become sacred to me. 

    My life is in every way connected to the queer community; my friends belong to the LGBTQ community, I surround myself with people who support the community, and I want nothing more than to uplift my community. We are a beautiful and eclectic group of people and I love to belong with them.

  • Nestled in the landscape next to the Bay Federal building on River St.

Queer History in a Flash

JESSICA CARMEN SHE/HER/ELLA

  • I was born in Santa Cruz's "old" Dominican Hospital and was raised between Watsonville and Santa Cruz. I have always loved my home county and found a way to become a homeowner at the end of 2020. Since then I have been active in the arts ecosystem actively working towards equity and inclusivity within my professional and artistic careers.  My vibrant works of art honor my Chicana roots and the feminine experience. My inspiration is often drawn from the folklore, artisanal crafts, iconography and flavor of the culture that allow me to be unapologetically bold and find strength in my femininity. As a self-taught artist, I am eager to build community through culturally relevant public arts, workshops and conversations.

  • Located on the eastside of Santa Cruz

Be Magical & Stay Radical: Santa Cruz Radical Faeries

MELISSA MARZAN SHE/HER

  • I was born in Watsonville and raised in Castroville. With a lot of my family living in Watsonville, I was raised between Monterey & Santa Cruz County. I went to field trips to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and my parents would take me fishing on the pier and on the beaches. After attending college at UC Davis, I moved to Santa Cruz in 2017 to work for the Santa Cruz Warriors. Through my time there I dove into the Santa Cruz lifestyle while also giving back to the community through public service work through the Santa Cruz Warriors organization. And even after I stopped working there, I continue to live in Santa Cruz and have joined the local art community creating public art works for everyone to enjoy.  

    As a hand lettering & illustration artist, I believe that words have the power to make an impact on how we see and experience the world. My art is a vessel for positive change, and as a way to process and explore my emotions. I see my work as a starting point to conversations about emotional vulnerability, cultivating community, ocean conservation, and my experience as a Queer/Bisexual Filipino-American. My art style is heavily inspired by my childhood being raised near the ocean in the central coast, always visiting the beaches, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and trips to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. I also primarily work with a blue color palette because it can symbolize honesty and radiates friendly and calming energy. With my work, I help others realize the things about themselves that make them special and remind them that their unique voices and stories are important in the journey of finding their own styles and passions in this life. Through my art, I share waves of positivity over the daily struggles of our human existence and build a community of courage through vulnerability. By living and creating art authentically, I inspire others to become the bravest version of themselves.

  • Located along the riverwalk