Emergency boxes are painted to show empowerment, resilience, community

Following up to its LAC tour last November, LBCC’s Public Art Advisory Group and Facilities Department held a walking tour for TCC’s painted emergency boxes on April 13.

Once dull gray and black, the boxes were then adopted by student groups and campus organizations, who transformed them into works of art reflecting a variety of themes including culture and language.

Before the tour began, attendees gathered to create their very own miniature painted boxes using provided supplies, while music from KLBC, the campus radio station, played in the background.

^{Bruce Morris, an LBCC Communications major, pencils out artwork to add to the sides of his own miniature painted emergency box on Monday, April 13. Before the tour of the emergency boxes, LBCC’s Public Art Advisory Group & Facilities Department provided art supplies so attendees could create their own custom boxes. (Jacyn King)}

The boxes that are around campus are stocked with crucial supplies for use during a campus emergency, including survival essentials, protective lockdown tools, and equipment for communication and lighting.

The tour included stops at all five emergency boxes where artists explained the significance of their imagery, with a stop at the Rising Tides mural in Building AA.

A box adopted by the Math Success Center, focused on the balance between ambition and staying grounded can be found outside the LL building.

^{Jay Rubin, one of the artists for the Math Success Center’s emergency box, speaks to the crowd about the inspiration behind the box’s artwork on Monday, April 13. The box is located outside of Building LL, and was the second stop on the tour. (Jacyn King)}

“You’ve got to stay rooted in the ground, but still reach for the sky,” said Jay Rubin, one of the artists, describing the piece’s message of growth without losing connection to one’s roots.

“No matter how far you reach in life, there’s always an opportunity to be humble,” said Rubin, an LBCC alum and current Cal Poly Pomona student.

Outside the BB Building, members of the Justice Scholars program shared a design rooted in transformation and second chances. Their box featured imagery of struggle and freedom, including handcuffs and a key with butterfly wings.

^{Painted by the Justice Scholars, the BB Building emergency box shows a key butterfly unlocking handcuffs. This box was the fourth stop on the walking tour on Monday, Apr. 13. (Jacyn King)}

“The key is a butterfly, and that represents freedom, like finding a way out and moving forward,” said Edward Valencia, an LBCC student who was one of the artists for the box.

 “Our message is ‘education, not incarceration,’ and we wanted that to come through in the design,” said Valencia of more artwork on the box that also included a graduate and the Long Beach skyline.

After a brief walk to an area between the FF and GG buildings, the Social Work Club gave a presentation about their box, a red, black and white scene with silhouetted hands and the palm prints of some of the club members and artists.

“The silhouettes represent the different populations social workers serve. We have the graduate, the young child, the veterans, men and women, the elderly population and teens. We’re a helping career,” Roman Roseborough told the attendees.

^{The backside of the emergency box, painted by the Social Work Club, shows the handprints belonging to members of the club who worked on their box. The box is located between the FF and GG Building, and was a stop on a tour of the boxes on Monday, Apr. 13. (Jacyn King)}

The final stop outside the EE Building featured a box presented by the ESL Club celebrating language, culture and perseverance. Painted in bright light blue and depicting a globe with children standing atop it, each speaking a different language.

“We chose the children because children never see color, race or language. They’re always happy, and they love to play together.” said Eloina Aguilar, an LBCC ESL student.

She goes on to describe the value ESL holds and how it can help drive you to new places.

“Just open your wings and go ahead towards your dreams. Language is the bridge to your dreams,” Aguilar said.

Each box, though distinct, formed a larger narrative across TCC, one that turned ignored campus fixtures into platforms for expression, advocacy and connection.

^{Outside of Building YY a painted emergency box shows two cats with a book accompanied by a quote from Helen Keller. The box artwork was created by members of TTC’s Multidisciplinary Success Center and was the first stop on the tour. (Jacyn King)}