All That Jazz - Utility Box

All That Jazz - Utility Box

Public Art

The Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art sponsored the production of 44 painted utility boxes around the city of Hattiesburg between 2020-2022. Their mission was to purchase and place art in the parks, neighborhoods, public buildings, and businesses of the city. They believe in the power of art to vitalize the community for both residents and visitors. While aesthetics is part of that, they also see public art as enriching imaginations, beautifying spaces for work, contemplation, and play; and inspiring self-discovery, community engagement, and dialogue. One of the utility boxes created is All That Jazz, painted by artist Aubri Sparkman and located at the corner of Mobile St and East 2nd St. in downtown Hattiesburg. The utility box was the first public art installation that Sparkman created when she was just 15 years old, making her the youngest artist in the project. Since then, she has created several other large-scale murals around the state. She said of her All That Jazz, her first work: “I applied for the utility box trail project, uncertain if I would ever be considered. But I was, and that opened many doors for me. I believe it’s important to always try.” In this work she celebrates the musical heritage of Mississippi as the birthplace of jazz, with Black and white artists both depicted as contributing their talents.

Aubri Sparkman

Hattiesburg Public Art Trail, Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art

circa 2020-2022

2000 – present

A painted outdoor utility box featuring acrylic mural artwork applied to a metal utility cabinet mounted on a concrete base.

Public Artwork

Public Art

Hattiesburg

Center for Digital Humanities, University of Southern Mississippi

Original artwork: Aubri Sparkman.
3D capture: Mira Sleasman.
Processing and documentation: Mira Sleasman, Madaleine Ponthieux, Daniel Fratini.
Project Supervisor: Dr. Courtney Luckhardt
Metadata Lead: Madaleine Ponthieux
Narrative: Courtney Luckhardt

Data available upon request.

January 13, 2026

The utility boxes painted by local artists are an ideal candidate for viewing in 3D, as their nature as art installations rather than flat canvases means that artists take advantage of the form of the box, connecting the work across the panels of the functional object, using recessed or projecting components of a utilitarian object to create depth and shadow that is hard to convey in an ordinary photograph. In this work, All That Jazz, Sparkman uses bold, saturated colors to draw the eyes’ attention, and the curling motif of the jazz piano across all four sides to link the box together and encourage the viewer to move around the box to follow the line.

GLB file

This item and its digital surrogates are provided for educational and public humanities use; reuse or redistribution requires permission from the holding institution and the Center for Digital Humanities at the University of Southern Mississippi.