The Glass House Collective, in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Lyndhurst Foundation, is thrilled to announce the final completion date and grand opening of the Glass Street Gateway.
The final build day is Sunday, April 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a grand opening celebration on Saturday, April 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The location of the Gateway is along Crutchfield Street between Glass Street and Dodson Avenue ending at the new Save-A-Lot grocery store at 2300 Dodson Avenue.
Organizers of the Asphalt Art Initiative, funded by a $25,000 grant only 16 cities of 210 applicants received, consulted with over 300 local residents for input on the project which seeks to use art and design to improve safety, revamp public spaces, and engage the community. Dozens of volunteers, designers, and artists contributed to the creation of the Gateway, which includes a large asphalt mural designed by students at nearby Hardy Elementary School and renowned Chattanooga mural artist Kevin Bate.
In addition to revamping the public space with planters and benches, the Gateway provides a safe walking area for residents to get to the new Save-A-Lot grocery store which is a source of healthy food in this otherwise food desert. Save-A-Lot store manager Christina Mack is excited the gateway will provide safe accessibility of nutritious food to the neighborhood.
“The Save-a-Lot is excited to partner with local residents and artists to create a welcoming space for families right outside our business,” Mack said. “The new temporary street park will be a great addition to the community, and we are excited to see more families and children using the space.”
On April 18, artists, students, and volunteers from local organizations will descend upon the Gateway to complete and clean up the project that has been months in the making before its unveiling the following weekend on April 24. Organizers say the initiative has truly been a community effort, involving Glass Street residents and professional designers alike. Glass House Collective Executive Director Teal Thibaud is encouraged by the involvement of so many neighborhood members as they are the ones directly affected and benefiting from the project.
“We are so honored to play a role in this project,” Thibaud said. “We appreciate all of the neighborhood residents, pastors, local business owners, Hardy Elementary students, design professionals and artists in every step of the process --planning, designing, and building since the very beginning. We’ve been working on this project for months and look forward to seeing it all come together and programming the new space throughout the summer.”
The unveiling ceremony on April 24 is open to the public. There will be guest speakers, live music provided by SoundCorps, a food truck, children’s activities, public mural paintings, and roller skating provided by Chattanooga-based Moonlight Roller. COVID-19 protocols, including mask-wearing and social distancing, will be observed to ensure a safe day of fun for everyone.
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