The Painting of the Pots
Watch Local Artists Beautify Barriers along
South Grand Boulevard
Come out and see local artists transform the concrete pots and jersey barriers along South Grand Boulevard into bright, fun, graphic works of art during a one-day painting extravaganza on Saturday December 12th starting at 7:00am! Four St. Louis artists have been selected by the South Grand Community Improvement District to paint the pots and barriers with unique designs that will beautify the urban landscape along South Grand from Arsenal to Utah for the coming year.
The pots and barriers will be in place for just under a year to demonstrate the changes being made to the street as part of South Grand’s Great Streets Streetscape Initiative. The Initiative will result in a more pedestrian-friendly South Grand Boulevard , with shorter crosswalks and wider sidewalks.
| Artists | Craig Downs is a St. Louis artist, muralist, and sign painter known for his bold, allegorical style. He designed the official poster for the Dogtown neighborhood’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. His work has been shown at venues across the city, including Hartford Coffee Company and Felix’s Restaurant.
Carrie Gillen is a local artist with a degree in painting from Loyola University . On South Grand she will be working with abstract stencils that she will rotate and combine in different ways to create various interlocking designs. Katie Johannes Millitzer, an artist and filmmaker living in Tower Grove East, has created art for the St. Louis Marathon and for streetscape projects in Ohio . Her work on South Grand will be inspired by the stained glass windows in local houses. Peat Wolleager is a well-known St. Louis street artist who will be working with stencils and spray enamels on South Grand. His work can be seen around the city and across the country. He has exhibited at international events, including Art Basel Miami and the Melbourne Stencil Fest. |
| Location | South Grand Boulevard just north of Arsenal Street to Utah Street |
| Funding | The project is being paid for by the South Grand Community Improvement District. Their mission is to cultivate a robust supportive business climate on South Grand in order to make the Tower Grove neighborhood the strongest and most appealing in St. Louis . The South Grand community is known for their eclectic flair and affordable ethnic cuisine. | |
| Process | An open call to artists was sent out and four artists were chosen based on the strength of their proposals by a jury of community members, business people, and arts professionals from the South Grand area. | |
| Contact | Meridith McKinley
314-664-5902 Rachel Witt Executive Director South Grand Community Improvement District (314)772-5750 |
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While the idea and paintings on the pots are all equally great, the practicality of having the flower pots on a major, heavily traversed Avenue/Boulevard as Grand is was clearly not so well thought out and planned.
While the pots may make the passing traffic stop (due to traffic lights and traffic) and better view the local businesses, it also increases the amount of pollution, heat, and unwanted noise in particular areas, specifically around Grands Restaurants.
In addition, the pots and traffic on Grand have also exponentially increased the amount of traffic on side streets (Spring Ave. and Arkansas Ave.). While not obvious, increased side street traffic will cause more injuries to playing children and elderly during the summer months, as children like to move out from behind parked cars into on-coming traffic (schools must not be teaching “Look both ways before crossing” and “Cross at the corners” any more).
I have also heard that since Grand Blvd. is now so normally congested, that the emergency vehicles have started using Arkansas Ave. instead of Grand Blvd. just to avoid the congestion.
Another man I spoke with stated that he witnessed several mothers nearly lose their children due to “The gardens in the middle of Grand” between Magnolia Ave. and Arsenal Ave.s during Tower Grove Park’s Festivals, due to the height of the concrete and massive amount of vegetation found in the middle-street gardens.
Its a good thing there are no Hospitals located on Grand, as the amount of traffic due to pots and street gardens would clearly dictate the life and death of a person.
How is making money, by slowing and bottle-necking traffic for business face time, more important than if a person lives or dies?
Was any planing or thought put into the poor idea of the pots and the “Street Gardens” on Grand Blvd.?
Thanks for reading.
Anne
One accident too many already.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22058765@N02/4411930231/
Good thing for Millie (if you can call it that) was that this accident was not a hit and run.
Thank you pots and street gardens.
The pots were put in for safety reasons, to slow down the traffic on So. Grand as part of the “Great Streets” project. A series of public meetings was held last year for the public to learn about the project and comment on the proposed construction. More information is available on the Grand South Grand website. At a recent meeting, it was announced that traffic has slowed by an average of 11 mph on So. Grand between Arsenal and Utah, because of the pots and the reconfiguration. The City Fire Dept. and the City Streets Dept. were both consulted. The medians between Arsenal and Interstate 44 serve a similar purpose (traffic calming/slowing) as well as beautification. People need to cross at the marked cross-walks where there are stop lights, in both areas.
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