Have you ever noticed that fire hydrants are rarely alike in shape or color? I have. Most people associate them with the color red, but that's not always true. For example, looking around my neighborhood of Venice Beach, California, I can tell you the majority of them are, in fact, white.
Before I knew their function, I thought these oddly shaped, metal objects bolted down into the sidewalk were street art. I grew up in Houston, Texas, and at the tender age of three my dad took me to an opening at the Rothko Chapel. Located in the Museum District, the chapel sat just off the main strip of museums, so it was more like being in a neighborhood than a city. Nestled inside quaint, single story homes, the grassy area surrounding the chapel made it easily mistaken for a community centre. and rightfully so. In honor of whatever they were celebrating, a team of local artists had gotten together at night and painted every hydrant in the town black. My dad noticed them first as he walked me to one and said "Look honey, it's a Rothko fire hydrant." He meant the artists had painted the hydrants black as a tribute to Rothko, but being three, I thought he meant the physical hydrant was for Rothko. I remember growing more and more fascinated as I noticed them on every street.
