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Cruces Creatives (2023) Print
2023 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public art installations
└ Public art installations
This project will help community members beautify a revitalizing downtown through a participatory paint-by-numbers mural on the wall of a nonprofit makerspace.
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See More Projects Like This One
Brownsville, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: The City of Brownsville set out to transform its 14th Street Plaza into a vibrant place for residents and visitors to the city. The City commissioned local artists to create a mural in the seven archways along one of the site's walls. To select the muralists, the City held a competition. The winning design, The Three Graces, by local artists Alexandria Canchola, Monica Lugo and Samantha Rawls, explores the relationships between sisters, cities and countries. Additionally, the City set up portable tables and seats, hung tree light fixtures, constructed a shade canopy and added new fountains to the site. They were also able to replace broken bollards, replace electrical fixtures and install bike racks and trash cans. Project organizers say the plaza was not well-maintained before and they hope upkeep will be easier now. Going forward, city officials see the park as a tool for economic development, attracting visitors to visit nearby businesses and museums.
Newton, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: This project will convert the back of a billboard into a mixed-media mural depicting figures and images representing Kansas history, adding vibrancy to a park located near a train station.
Baltimore, MD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: This project hosted a series of workshops where residents created a glass and ceramic mosaic. Art with a Heart then installed the completed artwork on the University of Maryland Medical Center's Midtown Campus. The mosaic depicts local people, houses and landmarks surrounded by a swirl of colorful flowers and features the words, We hear. We teach. We discover. We care.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Las Cruces, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: To make its downtown more bike-friendly, the Downtown Las Cruces installed 40 bike tacks. Based on feedback from the local cycling community, project organizers painted the racks racer green. Engagement with local business owners and volunteers determined the best locations to place the racks. In the future, Downtown Las Cruces expects placemaking efforts to continue with new shade sails. The City of Las Cruces also has plans for a new green path to facilitate biking and walking.
Dona Ana County, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: Founded in 2016, the South Central Transit District serves a largely rural area in New Mexico's Mesilla Valley. Before its launch, no public transportation services covered this part of the state. Despite the area's hot summer temperatures, few of the District's bus stops had amenities aimed at helping transit riders wait comfortably. To fix this, the District added two dozen benches and four bus shelters in several communities, including Anthony, Chaparral, Sunland Park and Hatch. District staff constructed concrete pads for the benches, which sit in high traffic areas. The work represents the first phase of improvements to stops -- the District plans to add LED lighting to increase safety for riders. Project organizers say the shelters and benches are popular with students and older adults, who make up a large share of the transit system's ridership.
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