Natick Teen Gets Plaque For Utility Box Painting

NATICK, MA — A Natick teen recently received a plaque from the Natick Cultural Council for a painting he did on a formerly-dull utility box along East Central Street.

Denis Minevich painted the box at 87 East Central St. with a scene depicting Natick's manufacturing past. The painting was inspired by Henry Wilson, a Civil War-era Massachusetts Senator and vice president to Ulysses S. Grant. Wilson's old shoe-making shop still stands at 181 West Central St.

The Natick Cultural Council plaque will adorn Minevich's painting. The Council holds a utility box painting contest each year, where local students are invited to submit ideas to spruce up town boxes. The winners get a $250 prize, and the contest is funded with a donation from the Natick Center Cultural District.

Minevich is a 2019 graduate of Natick High School.