Circle Together | Original Creative Placemaking Project Grant Plans (9.5.20)

Earlier in 2020, I was thrilled to have been awarded a City of Charlotte Urban Planning Creative Placemaking Project Grant for an idea I’d had for some time… to transform part of my Plaza Shamrock neighborhood working closely with Garinger HS teens, Plaza Shamrock Neighborhood Assoc., and the Get Ready for Jesus Community Church.

Then, COVID-19 hit all of us like a brick upside the head. Although I did lose some contracts/projects, and everything changed, I have so much to be thankful for! For this particular project, I tried to wait out “the COVID”.

Unfortunately, my big plans to work with Garinger HS FOCUS students (and their advisor, Kristin St. Martin) are off the table. (CMS school system — as of now — has all high schools on virtual learning, and their school properties are not available for community use at all. Because of the North Carolina lockdown [as of this post, Gov. Cooper only just allowed us to move to “Safer at Home Phase 2.5”], we’ve not even been able to use any neighborhood parks for this project.)

But, glad to share, we’re now moving to our scaled-down, plan B. See this LINK to find out more about our project… and if you live/work in the Plaza Shamrock neighborhood, how you can participate with us!

YOU CAN SEE MY ORIGINAL PROPOSAL BELOW. (NOTE: Due to COVID-19, Driveway Art Co. was not able to work with us. Though we may have custom project stencils for pressure washing neighborhood sidewalks. It depends on still unknown variables. The only details from the original proposal ideas are the circle motif street mural and vinyl wrap of “electrical box”. Also, these mural sketches are only to give a visual idea. In the end, the final colors/designs of the street murals will be created with neighbors.)