The Pratt Central Library proudly hosts the world premiere of the new documentary Salt Box Art. The short documentary is a collaboration between the Baltimore City Department of Transportation and Charm TV tells the story of how Baltimore City embraced the grassroots artistic movement of decorating city salt boxes, and expanded upon it by partnering with artists to create giant art pieces.
Time & Location
Thursday, January 30, 2025 – 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Enoch Pratt Free Library Creative Arts Center 400 Cathedral Street Baltimore, MD 21201
The Isle of Skye offers many gifts to armchair travelers who tune the Meta algorithms show a seemingly bottomless supply of misty green vistas punctured by rocky crags with mystical names like the Old Man of Scorr and The Quiraing. Scroll through these images and invariably, you’ll see a spot of yellow among the green and gray, sitting along a thin, snaking line of pavement that, instead of taking you out of the splendid, isolated beauty, somehow adds to it by revealing the perilous journey undertaken to reach that magical spot.
Now pinch and zoom in. That spot of yellow is a plastic box. Now pinch and zoom in even closer, and there’s rock holding the lid down. This is a grit box; a mix of salt and sand made available of public use in case of icy or snowy conditions. Scotland, indeed, the entire United Kingdom, takes their grit boxes very seriously. Even all of the potential locations available to place one of these helpful pieces of public infrastructure, why this particular spot? Among other factors, they have a decision tree:
Rural Grit Bin Criteria, Aberdeenshire Council
The rural UK grit box comes in a variety of sizes, but are invariably yellow molded plastic bins that retail for £160 or roughly $200 in US dollars. The grit boxes stay put year around and receive periodic fillups when reported as empty. Still, plastic weathers like everything else; tight lid seals loosen as the plastic slowly hardens through cycles of heat and cold. The winds in Scotland are no joke, hence rocks holding down the lids is common, which in turn warps the plastic, making the rocks even more necessary.
According to the DOT carpenters we’ve spoken to, Baltimore flirted with purchasing plastic saltboxes at one point, but the lure of free plastic storage containers proved too much for some Baltimoreans and they started disappearing, thus ending the experiment.
In Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, the molded yellow plastic grit boxes are also prevalent, but there are more lo-fi, older variants; the funky cousins of beloved saltboxes of Charm City. These shaggy grit boxes are a textured grey fiber-glass like material similar in size and shape to classic Baltimore saltboxes, but here’s where the similarities in form and function end. These Edinburgh grit boxes also have a slanted lid (albeit at a less pronounced angle), but that lid is not for you, grit box patron, for you have a gaping maw in the front of the box for which to get your grit.
Grit Bin on Bells Brae near Water of Leith Walkway, Edinburgh
This approach to girt access makes several assumption:
Gravity exists and will let the grit fall from what’s essentially a hopper down to the dispensing hole.*
A shovel will be required to get to and spread your grit.
This is a keen approach that seems more ergonomically friendly and less confusing. If you want grit, you need to come prepared, shovel in hand, instead of dumping out your Extra large Tesco cup of Irn-Bru and popping the lid to dig in. After all, this is the nation that invented** the steam engine and shoegaze; they aren’t messing around. Speaking of not messing around, you know that placement of these urban girt boxes are also governed by a familiar decision tree:
Urban Grit Bin Criteria, Aberdeenshire Council
Decoding the Edinburgh Grit Box
Old school Edinburgh grit boxes are labeled with a series of block letters that, at first glance, seem instructable. Here’s your handy guide to decoding the Edinburgh gril box:
CEC – City of Edinburgh Council (1996 to present)
CD – Cleansing Department
LRC – Lothian Regional Council (1974 to 1996)
HD – Highway Department, part of the LRC
SALT – It’s like girt, but more salty
GRIT – It’s like salt, but more gritty
BIN – It’s like box, but more bin-like
When you see a LRC HD box, you’re looking at a sturdy piece of infrastructure that’s at least 28 years old.
Grit Bin outside Dairy Cemetery on Dundee St., Edinburgh
So if this design is all that, why are these types of boxes relics of a previous time? Here are our theories on this:
These grit boxes aren’t all that and this design stinks. Grit is a salt and sand mix, and any approach to distribution relying on gravity that also exposes the grit to the elements is fighting science. The grit is going to eventually turn into a grit slab.
These grit boxes are the cherry pitters of municipal infrastructure. Your boring, bog-standard yellow plastic bin can moonlight as tool storage,a transport container, or any number of other uses, while the lowly purpose-built grit box is only good for one function (and not so great at that).
How do the Scots themselves feel about the grit boxes? A review of open source reporting reveals that people want their grit boxes available and functional. As for their place in the local culture and consciousness, omnipresence of the grit box in far flung locations and every city’s streets seems to make them a non-entity similar to fire hydrants or light poles. They’re just there and only notable in absence or when not functioning properly. And of course, someone has put up a webpage about them, which warms our hearts.
So when you’ve luck enough to visit Scotland’s wild spaces and urban streets, keep an eye out for the biona grit. Here’s a list of UK grit bin maps by area, and ArcGIS-powered map for Edinburgh.
Beannachd leat!
*Copyright pending on the term “dispensing hole”. **Some might say “improved” is more accurate. Scotland’s invention claims extend far and wide. Let’s just say they’re an innovative folk and leave it at that.
We need your input to make good on the promise of the aspirationally titled Saltbox Concern: The Journal of the Baltimore Saltbox – Vol. 1. We’ll be accepting submissions for Vol. 2 at baltimore.saltbox@gmail.com until September 15, 2023. Read on for more about the zine and what we need to make the next edition happen.
Our friends at Atomic Books and comic artist Ben Classen III of Dirt Farm fame did a masterful job pulling together and publishing Saltbox Concern Vol. 1, and we’re very happy how well it was received. The Library of Congress picked up some copies for future inclusion on their Zine Collection and we hear that John Waters is a fan. We’ve also learned some valuable lessons about what to avoid doing in future volumes, namely trying to include maps of saltbox art locations that become out-of-date before the ink is dry.
Is there enough left to be said about a utilitarian piece of Baltimore infrastructure to warrant another zine about the Baltimore Saltbox? Well, a lot has happened since we spun up the @baltimore.saltbox Instagram account (now 7,000+ followers strong) and Juliet Ames dropped Salt Box No. 1 to start the saltbox art movement. National media outlets including the The New Yorker and Good Morning America covered the saltbox phenomenon, Saltbox Cornhole debuted at Hampdenfest 2022, and the Baltimore City Department of Transportation commissioned giant saltboxes art pieces by artists Liz Miller, Matt Muirhead, Jamsin Manning, and Akio Evans.
There’s certainly another zine’s worth of material in those events but we really want to tell your Baltimore Saltbox story, however that manifests: prose or poetry, tall tale or urban legend, photo or drawing. For text, brevity is our friend. For everything else, surprise us. We’ll credit your work and give you some copies of the finished zine. This is a labor of love, not profit.
Again, reach us at baltimore.saltbox@gmail.com with your questions and submissions. We’ve hoping to get Vol. 2 done for the fall 2023 season, so we’re accepting submissions until September 15, 2023.
Join Team Atomic and The Baltimore Saltbox on the first ever Ride The Saltbox For The Feast. This is a fundraiser for Ride For The Feast, a one-day ride taking place on Saturday, May 13, 2023 and starts and ends at the Talbot County Community Center in Easton, MD. The Ride For The Feast raises money for Moveable Feast of Maryland. This organization was founded during the height of the AIDS epidemic in 1989, to provide food, hope, and love to those living with HIV/AIDS, many of whom were members of the LGBTQ+ community. Moveable Feast has continued to support underserved and vulnerable communities in Baltimore, while also expanding its reach across Maryland and serving people with illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
About The Route
Baltimore biking legend Bob Wagner, creator of the Monument To Monument ride, has crafted a new route: The Baltimore Saltbox ride. This one is a little different. Using GPS, the route draws “SALT BOX” on a map across Baltimore City. Due to the route, we’re limiting the number of riders to 10, so email baltimore.saltbox@gmail.com to secure your spot.
Time & Location Saturday, April 8, 9:30 AM meet up for 10:00 AM (rain or shine) Meeting Place: Front of The Rotunda 711 W. 40th St. Baltimore, MD 21211
Cost: $20 donation (you can do so directly on the Team Atomic page Ride For The Feast site or the day of via QR code)
Spend the morning at the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) learning how an act of art rebellion helped make the humble Baltimore Salt Box an icon. Saltbox Historian Bob Atkinson and Artist Juliet Ames discuss the history of the salt box, the fateful day that began the art movement, and the wild ride since.
Time & Location Feb 25, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM American Visionary Art Museum 800 Key Highway Baltimore, MD 21230, USA
Join us after the talk for a craft project to decorate a salt box! Fun for all ages. FREE!
Saltbox Art in a storage container at Baltimore DOT, Pulaski Highway
In what’s become an annual tradition, Baltimore DOT reached out to Juliet Ames (aka The Broken Plate, aka Salt Box Art Movement’s founder) about the pieces of art she and dozens of Baltimore artists have attached to the city’s iconic yellow saltboxes. DOT had collected saltboxes for routine maintenance and repair starting around April 15th, a date we’ve taken to call Saltbox Ascension Day (Saltbox Descension Day is November 15th). Among the boxes taken were art boxes. The DOT folks removed the art when possible and set it aside for Juliet and me to pick up.
This year was different. Last year in 2021, we visited a DOT facility tucked away on Holliday St. under I-83 near downtown and grabbed 28 pieces of art, which we took back to Juliet’s studio space in Mill Centre. We posted on Instagram and the rest of the socials about our haul, and Juliet graciously coordinated ways for artists to retrieve their work.
Why did the DOT have 28 pieces of saltbox art in the first place? The story is complex, but here’s the spine of it. When artists first started dropping art on saltboxes, and DOT head Steve Sharkey publicly blessed the activity, there was no plan or thought given to what happened to the art when Saltbox Ascension Day rolled around in April. The story of what we and the DOT hashed out is documented here.
These 28 pieces being removed were “mistakes.” Art boxes were to stay put, and artists were supposed to be caretakers of their boxes. Word of this policy change didn’t make it down to all of the folks in the trucks doing the work, so art boxes got scooped up. Stuff happens.
This year there were many more art pieces, over 70, all in a separate storage container at the DOT facility on Pulaski Highway. Juliet and I were absolutely giddy. Some of these pieces were from early 2021 and part of the original burst of saltbox art after Juliet Ames dropped her first box and kickstarted this whole thing. This cache of saltbox art provided the answers to one of the most frequently asked questions I get: what happened to my art? In many cases (not all, there are some documented cases of pure saltbox art banditry), this storage container had the answer.
Michael, the DOT employee helping us, had done most of the work to remove the art, which was a challenge, to say the least, and in some cases, impossible. Some artists worked directly on the boxes, so the box is the art, not a place to attach it. Michael also wrote street names and intersections from which the art was removed on the backs.
So why were so many art boxes taken up this year compared to last year? What happened to the agreement to leave the art boxes alone?
I believe the most simple answer is a combination of two things: the non-official status of the saltbox art project and DOT attrition. To be clear, the DOT didn’t ask for this: extra attention, discussions, and meetings around, of all things, the saltboxes – a sub-set of a sub-set of DOT’s remit – and the DIY art that the citizenry suddenly decided to attach to them. There’s no official policy here, just people who have a lot on their plates dealing with a saltbox art-shaped curveball the best they can. Also, the folks we talked to last year about handling the art boxes are no longer with DOT, so whatever causal agreements we had left with them.
I suspect Michael’s setting aside the saltbox art pieces had nothing to do with a defined policy (we foolishly didn’t ask him). Still, he and his co-workers recognized that this art with worth setting apart and saving because, as I’ve written about before, saltboxes are made cheap and not to last. Any art on the boxes will be damaged or destroyed through the process of transport and storage, but this was an attempt at preservation, as was the noting of locations. Again, it is not his job to do any of this.
Here’s what 79 pieces of saltbox art look like in the back of a Prius.
So Juliet and I had 79 pieces of saltbox art in my car, which, as is now tradition, we photographed and posted on Instagram and socials, along with the process for picking them up. Given the increased prominence of the saltboxes (thank you, The New Yorker, among others) and seeing a collection of those in one place, many people had great questions, comments, and ideas about all of this that I wanted to address.
I put these into two categories:
Saltbox Art process questions – I’m hoping these were answered above, but I’ve also added them to the DIY page of this site.
Why isn’t this stuff in a gallery, art show? Can I buy some of this awesome art questions – I’m hoping to answer these below.
Doing a Saltbox Art Exhibit
First of all, heck yes. There’s been chatter about this floating around as soon as this all caught fire and turned into dozens and dozens of art boxes and saltbox artists. Having 79 pieces of saltbox art together in one place only drove the idea home. People want it. We need to figure this out. We have some ideas, but first, a little level-setting:
This is all DIY. Artists can do whatever they want out there. Given that this is a somewhat subversive activity – co-opting city property for the sake of art – I get a good share of messaging looking for permission or guidance on the rules. While Juliet did pull together some guidelines, it’s pretty much Don’t Be A Jerk.
The artists are the owners of the art. While I have dropped an art box or two in my time (RIP, Wordle Box), I just document what’s out there and share the art with my Instagram followers. Any public display of the art needs to done with the express permission and approval of each participating artist.
Saltbox art as a commodity. Some folks have expressed an interest in buying pieces of saltbox art, which I totally understand. Again, if you like a piece you see in the wild or online, contact the artist. I will say this: there was a spate of saltbox art thefts that were not the DOT pulling boxes. Selling the art makes it a commodity, and I wonder if that increases the chances of theft.
Exhibiting for fun or fun AND profit?
So we’d all like an art show or exhibit, but the art is sold or auctioned off for charity? All of my saltbox-related activities involving money are for charity (Moveable Feast of Maryland), so this appeals to me. I am also not a working artist, so it’s very easy for me to want to make this about charity when artists also deserve to be paid if they want to be.
A few of us have been discussing all of this (Juliet Ames and Liz Miller – prolific saltbox artist of the Black Zodiac series – among others) and looking at the end of the upcoming season, targeting Spring 2023 after they pull boxes in April. This will give us enough time to figure out an approach and a process and get the pieces in place.
