Description
The Heart of the City team is inviting the public to help bring downtown Rochester’s alleys and streets alive through artistic expression. Alleys are becoming a unique part of America’s cities – going beyond their basic function in ways that are fun, inviting and active.
Throughout the country, formerly unused or neglected alleys have become spaces where people can gather, attend events, enjoy art and sidewalk cafes and for economic development activities.
Part of the design for Heart of the City is converting the alley between 2nd Street and Center Street from simple passageway to a thoroughfare of community inspiration. The team is taking inspiration from the Rochester Downtown Alliance (RDA), which has been working on repurposing the Third Street Alley (behind Café Steam, Kathy’s Pub, and 318 Commons) by integrating art and design installations into the space. You can learn more about the project here.
At Thursdays Downtown on August 15, the public is invited to help the Heart of the City team come up with ideas for murals and patterns for the streets in the downtown area. You’ll have the chance to mock up murals using duct tape and create paving patterns, which will be used by the team to inspire the final designs.
This is an all-ages, all-abilities event – so come as you are, grab a friend, the whole family or just bring yourself. For those interested in creating murals and paving patterns, come to the facades at the 1st Street Alley by Chateau Theatre, from 3 PM to 6 PM and show your community your creative ideas.
Duct tape and chalk will be available for you to create your paving and mural ideas. All ideas will be documented through photography and used by the design team and client group to inspire the design of the Heart of the City alley.
For inspiration, see how other cities have used murals and paving patterns to showcase their town’s unique personality:
Murals:
Big Fish//Upfest Festival Berlin
Tape Graffiti by Artist Gustavo Fuentes
Mary Carter Taub Los Muertos FPG Bilingüe School Chapel Hill, NC
Mary Carter Taub Floored! ArtsCenter Carrboro, NC
Paving patterns:
Crosswalk Art in Cultural District Destination Lancaster, CA
Art Crosswalk Downtown San Jose, CA
Polk Streetscape Project Fern Valley San Francisco, CA
We hope to see you on August 15 during Thursdays Downtown.