Like lemons into lemonade: Allston group wants to beautify neighborhood rat traps

The Rat City Arts Festival, which as its name implies, is in Allston, is sponsoring a program to artists to paint a bunch of empty black rat-bait stations, which will then be spread around the neighborhood for residents, and the more artistically inclined rodents, to enjoy, sort of like the city's utility-box painting program, just lower to the ground:

Yes, let's turn these Rat traps into beautiful pieces of art. Both for neighbors of Allston-Brighton and Rats, we all deserve to see amazing artwork when walking through our neighborhood. These traps, which rarely stop any rats, can become something better, something beautiful.

Selected artists, who have until April 19 to submit proposals, will get $100 a box, but have to supply their own paint.

The group adds that lovers of rat-eating hawks and owls needn't worry: The painted boxes will not be baited with rat poison or anything else, just adorned with a QR code that anybody bending down to take a look can use to get more information about the artist and the program.

To be clear, there are no harmful elements within the box to humans or to rats. These are empty rat trap boxes. No person or rat will be injured in the making or display of our rat traps.