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Friends of Downtown Hendersonville (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public art installations
└ Public art installations
Herdersonville has two discrete downtown districts and recently created a safe pedestrian pathway to connect them. Friends of Downtown Hendersonville's initiative beautified the path and dubbed it the Downtown Art Route. First, the organization held an art contest. Then volunteers painted three winning designs onto the path's pavement. The Hendo Bee Line mural depicts pollinator flowers, while another mural features five hands spelling the word Hendo in American Sign Language. A third stretch of sidewalk showcases artwork depicting bears in a mountain landscape. Since the project completed, organizers are looking for locations to install more public art in the future.
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See More Projects Like This One
Reno, NV
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: The placemaking mural project will use art as a catalyst to create collaborative relationships between neighbors and advocate for walkable streets.
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.
Blacksburg, VA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: To beautify a busy corridor in Blacksburg, the project installed a mural paying tribute to the area's natural environment and history. Volunteers worked to install the artwork -- which depicts a flurry of butterflies -- along a busy pedestrian streetscape.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Hendersonville, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: The city will add new bike infrastructure throughout downtown to improve safety and improve connectivity to local attractions. The improvements include sharrows, bike racks and bike repair stations.
Brevard, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: This project equipped Brevard's new community garden with raised beds. Additionally, volunteers installed benches in the garden, as well as in the nearby skate park and along the Estatoe Trail.
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