Syracuse one of 26 cities to receive $25,000 for asphalt art project
Elizabeth Billman | Senior Staff Photographer
The city plans to use the grant money for the median along East Washington Street, which was used for planting beds and pedestrian walking space before its current role as parking space.
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Syracuse will be awarded the 2021 Bloomberg Philanthropies “Asphalt Art Initiative” grant, Mayor Ben Walsh announced earlier this week.
The city has been awarded $25,000 to “reimagine an underutilized expanse of asphalt in front of Syracuse City Hall,” the press release said. Along with Syracuse, 25 other cities — including Detroit, Michigan; Memphis, Tennessee and San Juan, Puerto Rico — also received the grant to reclaim a public space and “make (the cities) brighter and safer and build community.”
The “Asphalt Art Initiative” is inspired by the work done in New York City during Michael Bloomberg’s 11 years as mayor as well as the work by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ consulting firm, Bloomberg Associates, to advise cities on creating asphalt artworks.
The press release said the asphalt art project will be completed in 2022. With the grant, the city will liven the median along East Washington Street between Market Street and Montgomery Street. Though it is currently used for parking, the median used to house planting beds and pedestrian walking space, the release said.
The project will be a “proof of concept,” and paint and materials used will be those that the city can easily replace or maintain.
“I am excited to engage our local community in imagining and creating this project,” Walsh said. “With the help of Adapt CNY and local residents, we can use art and design to revitalize this public space in a way that also improves safety and mobility.”
Published on October 6, 2021 at 10:56 pm
Contact Louis: louis@dailyorange.com | @JBL__98
