During this, our 50th anniversary year, we’ll be sharing 50 reasons to celebrate Center for Neighborhoods — one reason each week. The posts will come from different stakeholders in the organization, representing our past, present, and future.
Center for Neighborhood’s ultimate goal is always to help neighbors create the neighborhoods they wish for themselves. While we offer lots of educational and programming opportunities, by far our most popular program is PAINT (Producing Art In Neighborhoods Together). PAINT epitomizes neighborhood connectivity by encouraging collaboration among neighbors to bring new cultural assets into our Louisville neighborhoods. PAINT prioritizes the intimate asset-based knowledge and history that neighbors hold about their home places and focuses it in a way that allows for social and aesthetic neighborhood enrichment.
Over the years, CFN has helped neighbors all over Louisville bring public art into their neighborhoods, and 2022 is no different, with projects going up in both the Parkland and California neighborhoods. Let’s take a minute to look back on some of our favorite projects that you can still spot around town:
2014: Chickasaw “On the Road to Life” Mural
Located on a vacant property at the corner of Cecil Avenue and Greenwood Ave, the theme of the mural, “On the Road to Life – Challenge Yourself,” focuses on history, education, and culture along with anti-drug and violence slogans. Utilizing perspective drawings, roads and streets will showcase the history of Isaac Murphy, Louis Brandeis, Muhammad Ali, Anne McCarty Braden and Lyman T. Johnson as local role models leading into an educational component depicting kindergarten to post-secondary students wearing graduation caps.
2017: Better Block Shelby Park
Four pop-up participatory projects were sponsored by Louisville Forward and Lowe’s Hardware, in conjunction with Center For Neighborhood’s Better Block event in Shelby Park. This tactical urbanism event temporarily transformed a neighborhood block into a vibrant community place with art, street safety improvements, community organizations, entertainment, food and pop-up retail. Attendees were able to talk with artists and participate in the creation of these temporary pieces. Three murals and one weaving project (using recycled bicycle parts) were completed; all were gifted to Shelby Park neighborhood organizations and businesses after the event.
2019: Southside Sculpture Project
A new, interactive community sculpture project, in collaboration with the Southside Neighborhood Association and Americana Community Center,was installed in the grassy area near the intersection of Southside Drive, W Kenwood Way, and South 2nd St. Center For Neighborhoods staff have gathered input from over 60 youth at Americana Community Center. Artist Elmer Lopez constructed a multi-color archway made of recycled materials. He taught a class to Americana students exploring sculpture and the artist themes of inclusion reflected in the piece. This opportunity is made possible by Louisville Metro Government in partnership with Fund for the Arts, with generous partnership from Louisville Metro Public Works.
Click here to read more about Center for Neighborhood’s PAINT projects over the years, and keep your eyes peeled for more projects unveiled this Summer 2022.