Projects
ART THIS WAY is a public art program and creative place-making initiative which operates under the umbrella of the Fort Wayne Downtown Economic Improvement District, FWDID. The FWDID hired AH Public Spaces Consulting, LLC to raise funds and liaison between property owners and artists to bring large scale professional art installations into Fort Wayne, IN. Managing Art This Way includes the commission and development of public realm projects, event planning, and the facilitation and implementation of public art on private property.
Over the last five years, the program has installed 20 permanent projects in Downtown Fort Wayne. Art This Way projects include murals, sculptures, and inclusive signage. In 2020 the program facilitated over fifty temporary art installations, including a Plywood Paint Out in the wake of the George Floyd protests in Fort Wayne and a dozen works installed in September which advocated for social justice. [Photo Credit: Brett Frauhiger, Adam Garland, Rachel Von Stroup, & Stephen J Bailey]
Clean Drain Initiative: FOR Storm Drain Murals
MAKE IT YOUR OWN MURAL FEST is a region-wide public art initiative which encompasses eleven counties in northeast Indiana. AH Public Spaces Consulting, LLC was hired by the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership to act as the public art consultant on the project. Alexandra's role included development of property owner contracts and artist agreements, development of artwork content, facilitation of the artist selection processes including open calls, recruiting artists, jury sessions and property owner approval processes.
She also advised wall selection, on-site logistics, paint order delivery, wall preparation, and acted as the artist liaison-working to ensure artist participation, answer their concerns and ensure a completed project.
Each mural is approximately 2,000 square feet in size, and almost all murals are located within a community’s center. These were strategically placed to allow for maximum economic impact.
The overarching goal of this initiative is the
leveraging of public art to attract talent and
impact regional quality of life.
[Photo Credit: Stephen J Bailey & BFA Studios]
The 2022 Liv Co Walls mural festival is an innovative project intended to enhance Livingston County’s economic development efforts. Public artwork is an essential building block in economic development and quality of place. This project will bring one large mural to each of the nine downtown districts— providing another asset in their walkable, pedestrian-friendly downtowns. These murals will attract visitors, locals, and tourists!
In July of 2022 regional, national, and international artists will create 9 high-quality murals — one in each of the 9 villages of Livingston County. The murals will all be unveiled on the same month, with celebrations and events taking place all over the county throughout the duration of the festival to recognize the artists and the communities.
This regional mural festival concept will build on the quality of place efforts accelerated by the Downtown Partnership, a program of Livingston County Economic Development, growing regional pride and garnering significant attention and exposure nationally.
Public Realm Facilitation
Under the contract with the Fort Wayne Downtown Economic Improvement District, FWDID, A H Public Spaces Consulting, LLC works to further activate spaces with seating, events and greenery. This part of the contract involves collaboration with the city of Fort Wayne and FWDID to activate spaces on public and private property in order to encourage pedestrian use and draw traffic to specific zones. The contract also includes partnerships with anchor businesses to increase their business and offer them additional seating and event zones near their restaurant, café, or boutique. Murals are often a component of these activation zones, but additional creative placemaking mechanisms include seating, lighting, greenery, trash containers, closure of streets and parking areas, and art installations.
CONNECTING COMMUNITIES THROUGH IMPROVED QUALITY OF PLACE
In 2021-2022 the NewAllen Alliance will brought five large scale art projects to five communities: Leo-Cedarville, Grabill, Woodburn, Monroeville and Hoagland, Indiana. Each community has a unique project in a location that is in the heart of their town or city. The purpose of this artwork implementation is to highlight community assets, educate visitors, encourage economic growth, and improve over-all quality of place.
All five murals are complete. A huge thank you to the talented artists: Tim Parsley, Julie Wall, Ricco Diamante, Amy Buchs, and John Klein!
NewAllen Alliance Projects
Jefferson Pointe Murals
In the summer of 2021 five unique murals were installed at Jefferson Pointe in Fort Wayne, Indiana. These murals were part of an open-call artist application and a people’s choice contest.
The purpose of this artwork implementation is to drive organic social media content, provide opportunities to emerging talent, enhance the pedestrian experience in these zones, and increase commerce.
MURAL INSTALLATIONS
TAMMY DAVIS | BEAR in VAN
CHRIS CATALOGNA | CANYONS
NICK FERRAN | BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF
JOHN KLEIN | SUMMIT CITY
MATT PLETT | YOU GOT THIS!
MAKE MUSIC, FORT WAYNE is a project run in partnership with Lutheran Life Villages. Upright pianos are painted by local artists and then they are placed in strategic public areas. The community is invited to bring music to the alleyways of Fort Wayne, IN.
Each year a new piano is released into the wild!
