City of Rochester
News Release
(Friday, July 13, 2018) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren
celebrated efforts today to restore ARTWalk, an outdoor art trail that connects
artistic centers and public spaces in the Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA). The
restoration is intended to be a community-wide effort, involving local artists
and city youth.
“Rochester’s ARTWalk is such a unique and beautiful
feature for our city. We hope to encourage the creativity of our young people
and continue building a sense of community,” Mayor Warren said. “Projects like
this create a vibrant community and improve our quality of life, qualities
employers seek when they determine where to bring jobs, and also help us create
better educational opportunities.”
The Mayor and City Council have agreed to contribute up
to $75,000 toward ARTWalk over the next two years, with funds drawn from
unspent monies from prior years. The money will support local artwork and youth
programming.
The full scope of the project will be determined upon
further community input. The ARTWalk has the support of the Neighborhood of the
Arts business community and its residents.
Doug Rice, one of ARTWalk’s founders, said the outdoor
art trail, which runs along University Avenue from the Memorial Gallery to the
George Eastman House, needs work after suffering from the elements and wear and
tear over the years.
“ARTWalk is excited to be working in partnership with the
City of Rochester again. Our mission is to build and strengthen community,
using the arts as a vehicle,” Rice said.
Plans are to repaint most of the ARTWalk’s existing
features and restore others that have been removed, like the coffee cup benches
in front of Starry Nights café and the zoetrope on the Image City bench.
Children and the community will be invited to help
decorate different light poles along the route with a variety of mosaic
projects that will be scheduled over the coming year.
Local artist and muralist Shawn Dunwoody created a new
sidewalk painting outside 670 University Ave. to mark the launch of the ARTWalk
restoration project.
“The spirit of
ARTWalk plays a central role for community engagement, especially for our
youth,” said Shawn Dunwoody. “We need to keep this spirit alive, connecting
with past, present, and future artists and creatives in our community.”
For more information, go to: www.artwalkrochester.org/
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News Media: For more information, contact Press Officer
Jessica Alaimo, 428-7135.