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Find Your Wings with Middlebury Community Music Center (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public art installations
└ Public art installations
To make Middlebury's downtown more vibrant, Find Your Wings launched a public art initiative to increase community engagement. The organization engaged local artists who worked with residents to create eight sets of wings. To include as many community members as possible, they distributed art kits to homebound residents, schools and senior living facilities, who sent their creations back to the artists. Each set of wings is unique -- one consists of painted plywood feathers, another parrots a monarch butterfly's wings, while a third turns random household objects into musical instruments for passersby to strike. Installed throughout downtown, the installations invite pedestrians to pose and snap selfies. Project organizers say the placemaking effort is meant to foster a sense of belonging and boost the local economy.
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See More Projects Like This One
Danville, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Danville was known for the community's commitment to the arts, but the town lacked public art in its downtown. In an effort to bring vibrancy to the town's commercial core, Heart of Danville has supported more than 100 major renovation projects. This project installed the community's first large-scale mural. More than 1,000 residents provided feedback about what should be included in the mural designed by artist Andlee Rudloff. The final design showcases the community's history. To complete the mural, 205 people -- ranging in age from 2- to 80-years-old -- gathered to paint. Project organizers say the mural is the first step toward activating the adjacent parking lot, allowing it to host parklet installations and pop-up events.
Rock Springs, WY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Part of a multiyear effort to bring public art to downtown Rock Springs, this project added a new mural paying tribute to the area's mining and railroad history. The artwork then spurred redevelopment of an adjacent vacant lot, which is now a pocket park with seating, shade structures and landscaping. To help visitors learn about local history, Rock Springs Renewal Fund added interpretive signage for the mural, and for others installed nearby. Ultimately, the project's success inspired the City of Rock Springs to commission three additional murals for the pocket park. Today, the City hosts mural walks through the central business district.
Los Angeles, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: The Thai Community Development Center sought to beautify Thailand Plaza, a commercial center along Hollywood Boulevard in Thai Town. The more than 1,000 square feet of metal garage doors making up the plaza's faade were a target for graffiti. To solve this, the Center commissioned two artists to replace the tags with vibrant murals illustrating Thai culture. They also repainted the gates of the nearby Brahmin Shrine in deep black and gold. By doing this, project organizers hope to deter future vandalism in the area, inspire a sense of community and draw new visitors to Thai Town. Locals hailed the project during a celebration marking the district's 20th anniversary.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Hinesburg, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: To make crossing the street safer, this project installed a flashing beacon light at a village center crosswalk. The crossing is located near Kelley's Field, an affordable housing community for older adults.
Waitsfield, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions
Description: The project will host an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) design competition, in an effort to help alleviate Vermont's housing shortage.
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