Could Be Fund PLUS

This is one of four site locations suggested for Open Walls NHV, an outdoor exhibition of murals throughout Downtown made possible by collaboration between private property owners and local artists and volunteers.

Here's more about the project from their application to http://CouldBeFund.com

"Town Green District would like to sponsor Open Walls NHV, an outdoor exhibition of murals throughout Downtown made possible by collaboration between private property owners and local artists and volunteers. The mural project will transform four nondescript walls into colorful, original artworks, which will help redefine the area and stimulate civic pride. The selected walls are highly visible to both pedestrians and vehicular traffic, and once transformed by paint, the murals will encourage people to pause and appreciate the displayed local talent. With the combined seed funding from Town Green District and ECIC, a call for proposals from illustrators, painters, and designers can be launched, and community volunteers corralled to create public art that will enhance the cultural and visual vibrancy of the Downtown business district."

"We have identified four exposed walls that are highly visible in Downtown. Once the murals are finished, public art will face those travelling by car and foot on George Street, Chapel Street, Court Street, and Audubon Street. The wall sizes range from 72 to approximately 2,955 sq.ft, and all will be cleaned and prepared with a first coat of sealant. Working from top to bottom, a hired team of OSHA-compliant professionals trained in painting from scissor lifts will outline and paint the artwork, and then community volunteers will help the selected local artists paint the remaining portion of their design closest to the ground. To our fortune, the walls rise above open lots and parking lots, where gathering and artist talks can be held in celebration of the murals. Town Green District will work with artists and painter teams to establish liability insurance for the project. "

We plan on mounting 16 historic and contemporary photographs plus 16 graphic images of cherry trees and the Wooster Square Arch on the walls lining the Chapel Street underpass under I-91. We expect the photos/images to be approximately 8 ft by 8 ft. We will also mount signs above Chapel Street on the I-91 overpass, reading Welcome to Wooster Square and Remembering Wooster Square.

This Could Be a Curated Garden along The MRT

"We would like to create an attractive community green space that will improve air and soil quality through phytoremediation. This curated garden will include an assortment of plants such as sunflowers, Indian grass, and Poplar trees that are known for their ability to absorb pollutants. The soil along the site location near the bank of the Mill River will be rearranged to allow for greater surface area for planting. "

This Could Be a Public Piano

"The New Haven Symphony Orchestra will partner with Free Keys and the Arts Council of Greater New Haven to bring pianos to four public spaces in New Haven. These pianos will be painted by local artists and arts organizations and will be available to be played by the public. The NHSO will present FREE concerts and Instrument Discovery Zones at these sites. This project will be launched June 21, 2019 on International Make Music Day and will be part of the Free Keys Piano Trail. The working project title is Free Keys New Haven."

This Could Be a Linear Trail Park

"We seek support to build the Mill River Trail Green Infrastructure Corridor (the Project) in Fair Haven. The Project will convert four blocks of degraded roadway and vacant land into a linear trail park through the creation of a parklet, a pervious trail system, signage, and green infrastructure practices in the public right of way. These improvements will connect Phase 1 of the Mill River Trail to the north with the newly upgraded Criscuolo Park to the south, providing connectivity between District Square, Fair Haven, and New Haven Harbor, while serving as a destination for all New Haven residents. "

This Could Be a Periodic Table Mural

"We are proposing to create a series of large scale murals to engage the public in an educational, informative, fun, and endearingly nerdy way. By incorporating the following seven elements from the periodic table: Scandium, Iodine, Nitrogen, Cerium, Phosphorus, Argon, and Potassium; along with the formula for Ammonia (NH3) we wish to create a series of murals that vertically spell out “Science Park”. The proposed title is the Periodic Table Mural Project."

This Could Be The Bridging Lanterns Project

"If you had a wish for your community, what would it be? At Atelier Cue, we wish for improved connectivity. We wish for finding light in forgotten places. We wish for public art that evolves from a shared local story and encourages community engagement. The Bridging Lanterns project is a multi-faceted effort involving community input, a celebratory event, and a lighting installation. The result would illuminate the dark underpass at Upper State street with dozens of suspended ‘lanterns’, each carrying the wish of a local resident. "

This Could Be Restored Dog Park Panels

“Artified Pups” - A muralist and pet portrait artist will work with assistants and area residents to revive a blighted city block near a dog park by rehabilitating a dilapidated series of existing large photo images. We’ll remove any loose vinyl photo material then replace/paint missing parts, colorize images and add design elements to blackout spaces between by applying the simple sensibilities of adjacent wall art. The project seeks to creatively solve a problem through a planned process that includes community participation to create a continuous application to “artify” old B&W photos, eliminating the expense of removing/replacing them.