From The Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM – Bloomberg Philanthropies will award the City of Birmingham a grant up to $25,000 as part of their Asphalt Art Initiative.
The Asphalt Art Initiative is designed to fund visual art on roadways, pedestrian spaces, and public infrastructure in U.S. cities with the goal of improving street and pedestrian safety, revitalizing and activating underutilized public space and promoting collaboration and civic engagement in local communities.
The City of Birmingham’s proposal seeks to activate the intersection of 8th Avenue West and Center Street, anchored by Smithfield Court and the Smithfield Branch Library. Create Birmingham will serve as lead art partner on the project, collaborating with the city to identify qualified artists, designers and teams to implement the visual art. A resident-led review panel will make the final artist selection.
The Birmingham Public Library and branch staff at the Smithfield Library will also be part of the project team.
“This project represents an opportunity to further expand our toolkit of public realm strategies in Birmingham, centered at a critical juncture of mobility, social infrastructure, and history in the Smithfield neighborhood,” said Christina Argo, division manager for Strategic Projects and Innovation in the Department of Transportation.
The project kicks off with technical assistance from Bloomberg Philanthropies in fall 2021, and artist selection will occur in early 2022.