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Gateway Regional Arts Center (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public art installations
└ Public art installations
Downtown Mt. Sterling lacked accessible green space, leaving older adults isolated and without safe outdoor options. Gateway Regional Arts Center turned a vacant lot into a Sculpture Garden with ADA-compliant paths, benches and vibrant plantings. Participants helped install sculptures and greenery, and a ribbon-cutting event marked the opening of this inviting space. The garden now offers a permanent oasis for relaxation and social connection, reducing isolation and boosting mental well-being. Plans for art classes, chair yoga and gardening workshops will keep the space active and expand its role in community life.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Granby, CO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Granby hosted the RKY MTN WALLS street art festival, Grand County's first ever mural festival. Over seven days, Denver-based artists created eight massive murals on Main Street, which celebrate the area's diversity and culture. The festival also featured cornhole competitions, face painting and opportunities to create art on canvasses provided by event organizers. Following the festival, residents formed a public art committee to continue promoting community art.
Parkersburg, WV
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Downtown PKP wanted to build on its efforts to bring public art to Parkersburg. Over the years, the nonprofit created selfie stations and displayed welcome banners in the central business district. This project added a 40-foot mural. Downtown PKB held community listening sessions, where they asked residents what they love most about their town, as well as about their hopes for the future. Using the responses, a team of artists developed a design depicting a collage of smiling faces, local landmarks and butterflies. During four public paint parties, 300 volunteers worked to install the mural on the side of the Parkersburg Art Center. Project organizers say the collaborative effort culminated in public art that beautified Parkersburg's downtown.
Loogootee, IN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: As part of efforts to create a new, multi-use community space, the Loogootee Beautification Committee commissioned a local artist to create a massive mural downtown. Community members worked with the artist to plan the artwork, which they then installed on the side of an abandoned building on Loogootee's main square. Work occurred as the City prepared to renovate the building and revitalize the area. In the future, the City hopes to hold its annual festival at the site of the mural. Project organizers also report the project helped gather community feedback, which will inform future placemaking projects.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Mount Sterling, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: Gateway Regional Arts Center improved a busy trail where older adults needed accessible places to rest, socialize and engage with community history. The project installed four ADA-accessible picnic tables and three interactive interpretive signs, immediately adding comfort and opportunities to learn. Eighteen volunteers, including many age 50-plus, supported planning and installation, and a history board of older adults shaped the content. The upgrades are drawing thousands of passersby and festival-goers and have renewed momentum for future features. Older residents' stories informed the panels, strengthening ties between the trail and nearby services.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Lexington, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: An anticipated change in Lexington's zoning laws to permit accessory dwelling units inspired the creation of a Homeowner's Guide to Accessory Dwelling Units. To build interest in ADUs and provide examples for the publication, the University of Kentucky School of Design hosted a design competition for students and alumni. Cash prizes were awarded to the first, second and third place winners from each group. "The ADU manual that came out of the grant -- a tangible document that people can have in their hands to understand what we're talking about -- was crucial to helping us convey the message we needed in order to bring about change," said Chris Woodall, manager of long-range planning for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.
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