PLANT CITY, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Arts Council awarded a $5,000 grant to continue funding a project aimed at beautifying Plant City.

The “Trash Can-Vas Project” aims to revamp the city’s downtown Main Street. This is the second year for the project.

The Senior Coordinator for the Arts Council of Hillsborough County Eileen Blake hopes this project will uplift the downtown economy.

“Even with a project this small, this represents an artist who received work — supplies like paint, brushes, and everything else that goes into making a project like this. It provides support for other businesses in the community,” she said.

Several artists, like Courtney Dodson, were commissioned to paint on new dumpsters.

“My design for the Trash Can-Vas Project was based on natural wildlife that’s native to Florida. On one side of the dumpster, I had a green tree frog, and I also included a mockingbird sitting in some branches,” Dodson said.

Hillsborough County said its goal is to create beauty in unexpected places, such as dumpsters, and bring more people to Plant City’s downtown area.

“I think Plant City is up-and-coming right now, so I hope to see a lot more of this. It’s exciting when you go someplace that hasn’t had a lot of public art before, and it starts popping up in unexpected places around the city,” she said.

Dodson moved to St. Petersburg seven years ago and started creating art for different community events.

“I think art has always been a form of escapism for people. I think that’s also why it’s important to have public art in cities,” she said.

She says every piece of art she creates is spontaneous.

“I can just make it right away, and it’s nice having that freedom. I get to really decide what I’m excited about and what motivates me,” she said.

She hopes to continue creating so people can find tiny pockets of beauty in their city.