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City of Lakewood (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public art installations
└ Public art installations
The City of Lakewood turned to public art to reduce social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as encourage residents to walk and bike. The City asked artists and entertainers to plan outdoor activities for children and residents of a senior living compound. Artists created an interactive fence art installation, as well as murals on the pavement along the ArtLine, a walking and biking route in Lakewood's arts district. Additionally, performers meandered along the Artline and interacted with community members during the Project Joy Bomb, a four-hour immersive art experience. More than 400 people lined the streets to engage and hundreds of others watched from vehicles or balconies and porches. The City also installed a Little Free Library along the route, which remains today, along with many of the art installations. In recent years, the ArtLine has continued to add works of art, including new murals.
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Binghamton, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: To improve the walkability and aesthetics of an industrial neighborhood in Binghamton, the Center for Technology and Innovation installed a 300-square-foot topographical map mural. Displayed along Wall Street, the artwork depicts a stretch of New York State from Cooperstown to Lake Erie. Organizers say the map aims to enliven pedestrian-friendly block connecting Northside residential neighborhood to downtown shopping areas and a regional transportation hub. The three-dimensional map, prepared with the help of the U.S. Geological Survey, is titled Here in the Heart of New York.
Ville Platte, LA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: The Tee Cotton Bowl is an annual high school football game -- and week-long event -- that promotes racial reconciliation. As part of local revitalization efforts, the Acosta Foundation engaged a team of multigenerational volunteers to create a 100-foot-long mural as a symbol of the community coming together. A small, landscaped seating area allows visitors to enjoy the artwork, with LED lighting illuminating the mural. Volunteers hailed from all parts of the city and worked on all elements of the project, from cleaning the wall to hosting a celebratory party during the Bowl. The project's success sparked creation of another mural on the grounds of Ville Platt's city hall.
Chelsea, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: With the addition of public art, a block of Division Street became a welcoming, safe passageway through downtown Chelsea for pedestrians and cyclists. Community members created 25 pieces of art to adorn the street. Artists painted three full-scale murals, including one created alongside students from a local school, as well as several mini murals. Local older adults also installed art panels. To improve mobility, the City added new sidewalks and repaved the roadway. This project spurred local artists and creatives to form a network and increased support for public art among local property owners. Project organizers say its success represents an important first step to link the heart of downtown with Chelsea's waterfront.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Lakewood, CO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: To make a popular pathway more visually appealing, volunteers painted pavement murals along the corridor from Eaton Senior Communities to the Belmar downtown district. To make high-traffic pedestrian trail more welcoming people of all ages and abilities, volunteers also installed an ADA-compliant benches at several locations, including near a low-income apartment complex.This gives people traveling the pathway a place to rest.
Wheat Ridge, CO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: Localworks has been working for years to improve Wheat Ridge's 38th Avenue corridor and create a main street destination for the city. Its Activate 38 program aims to promote safe walking, biking and wheelchair rolling along 38th Avenue west of Kipling Street. To support this goal, Localworks staged the Roll, Stroll and Strut Fest at a local park. Local partners included the city parks and recreation department and Bicycle Colorado. As part of the event, Localworks obtained a permit to take over a street near the park to showcase planters, bollards and other devices that can calm traffic, making streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users. Localworks continues to promote healthy mobility along 38th Avenue and hosted an all-abilities bike cruising event in the neighborhood in 2021.
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