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Avenue Community Development Corporation (2017) Print
2017 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public art installations
└ Public art installations
To increase walkability and create a safe, beautiful gathering space, Avenue CDC engaged a local artist, local schoolchildren and residents to create a 600-foot mural. The wall selected for the artwork was off-putting and had been vandalized many times. But the site also acted as the entry point to the Northline neighborhood, since the wall faces the nearby light rail station. The mural's design pays homage to local Latino culture and the history of the neighborhood. As the mural reached its completion, Hurricane Harvey hit Houston and project organizers were able to repurpose leftover grant funds to help with recovery and rebuilding.
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Austin, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: This project will create a 104-foot mural on the Austin urban loop trail, celebrating the city's 1871 railroad history. Featuring 13 panels of local art, this project promotes outdoor recreation and community well-being.
Kailua, HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Hearing and recording the stories of elders is an important part of Hawaiian culture. Students and staff from the Kailua Intermediate School honored this heritage by painting a large mural facing Kailua District Park. The project launched with a Huaka'i (field experience), during which people of all ages visited historically significant sites in the community. Learning about local cultural practices and values, students heard mo'olelo (stories) from kupuna (elders) They then shared the stories with their peers, who joined in to design and paint the mural.
Frederiksted, VI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: To highlight the culture, history and traditions of the island of St. Croix, the VI Council on the Arts created a new mural. A local artist blocked out the artwork's design, then project organizers engaged volunteers -- including retired community members and people with disabilities -- to help paint. Installed in a busy area frequented by local fishermen, the mural depicts fish and coral native to the Virgin Islands. In the future, the Council plans to work with the community to create more murals.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Houston, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Walkability
Description: This project will conduct walk audits along Washington Avenue, a busy commercial district surrounded by residential homes. There will be two training sessions and a final in-person community meeting.
Houston, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Many residents of Houston's Gulfton neighborhood do not own cars, making walking, cycling and public transit use common in the area -- one of the most diverse in the city. But street infrastructure didn't exist to protect cyclists from street traffic. To demonstrate the value of streetscape improvements, the City set up a pop-up bike lane on Westward Street near a local elementary school. First, the City developed a pop-up toolkit, consisting of chalk, paint, stencils and traffic cones. They then used these to create bike lanes on both sides of the street, with plans to conduct more low-cost, temporary pop-ups in the future. During the Westward Street demonstration, the City conducted a survey of residents. Following the success of the temporary bike lanes, the City broke ground on a permanent street redesign project nearby. Planners expect permanent protected bike lanes to be installed along the stretch where the demonstration took place.
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