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City of Beaver Dam (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public art installations
└ Public art installations
As downtown revitalization advanced, residents wanted a way to honor local history. The city launched "Doors to Our Past," turning old doors into canvases for historical artwork. Fifteen doors depicting landmarks and traditions were created through collaboration between residents of all ages. The installation now forms a permanent art trail and has inspired plans for annual additions. One door featuring Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus sparked heartfelt memories of decades spent delighting children during the holidays.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Lakewood, CO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Older adults who walk the Alameda Corridor to reach shops and health care often lacked safe places to pause, making trips exhausting and limiting independence. Alameda Connects installed a concrete pad with a bench and trash bin at a key resting point. It also added colorful ground murals at three sites, including a transit stop and Easterseals Colorado, to make the spaces feel safer and more welcoming. The project united older adults and students in painting days that sparked friendships and inspired neighborhood cleanups and business interest in murals. One teen said, "Thank you for letting me volunteer. This project gave me purpose."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Henderson, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: The Flint Hill Kittrell Vance Community Development Corporation hoped to help foster economic development in Henderson's Flint Hill neighborhood, a low-income community. To create a sense of place there, the CDC created the Henderson Art Walk. First, volunteers worked to install murals and crosswalk art reflecting the area's history and culture. Local youth also took part in an oral history project, recording stories from their elders. A local website hosts an archive of the stories, along with photos of local public art installations. Then the CDC launched its walking tour, which highlights local Black history and culture. The walk leads visitors past local galleries and museums, as well as murals and crosswalk art. One mural honors Ben E. King, a Henderson native best known for writing and performing the song Stand by Me. The success of this placemaking project has inspired similar efforts in nearby communities and has spurred the CDC to create more public art.
Shorewood, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: An interactive, slip-resistant mural will be installed at a lakeside park to teach residents how everyday actions affect water quality. The ground-level artwork will support outdoor learning and gentle movement for people of all ages.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Morgantown, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The project will add raised garden beds, seating and a community mural next to the Butler County Senior Center. This space will support light activity, relaxation and social time while providing fresh produce in a welcoming outdoor setting.
Bowling Green, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Disaster Preparedness
Description: Low-income residents needed clear, practical steps to prepare for tornadoes, floods and fires. Many lacked a plan, supplies and a single place to keep them. Community Action delivered two trainings for AmeriCorps Senior volunteers using SBP guidance. Participants received a Disaster Resilience Toolkit plus a fire blanket, first aid kit and a three-day survival backpack. The sessions walked through what to do before, during and after an event. Early outcomes show volunteers organizing go-kits at home, with follow-up planned to check progress.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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