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Flint Hill Kittrell Vance Community Development Corporation (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public art installations
└ Public art installations
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.
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Pittsburgh, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: To bring vibrancy to Pittsburgh's Beechview neighborhood, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Partnership for Aging engaged residents in a public art project. The result was Color Beechview. With the guidance of a local artist, community members wore LED lights on bodies, which they used to create light paintings through long-exposure technology. The resulting digital art depicts the silhouettes of Beechview residents, including children and older adults. SWPPA then displayed the art throughout the neighborhood, including on the sidewalk pavement in front of the senior center, on the side of light rail cars and along neighborhood fences. Organizers say key goals of the project were combatting social isolation and creating intergenerational connections. "We encouraged people who didn't know one another to reach across generations and across ethnicities to connect," Lively Pittsburgh's Ted Cmarada said.
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.
Farmington, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Downtown Farmington's alleys lacked safe inviting spaces for cultural engagement, limiting walkability and social connection. The council converted an alley into a pocket park with walking pavers and murals, including a Navajo Code Talker portrait and cultural symbols. Older adults volunteered as guides and storytellers during art walks, sharing local history. The space now hosts jazz nights, art classes and receptions, creating a lasting venue for connection.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Raleigh, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Bike Audits
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Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Wake Forest, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Bike Audits
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Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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