Town Branch Park Receives $200,000 in Project Funding
The Town Branch Park project received a $200,000 boost in funding on May 9. The National Endowment for the Arts awarded $100,000 to LexArts for “InterACT” in Town Branch Park. The Town Branch Fund matched the award for a total investment of $200,000 in the park project.
InterACT, which highlights Arts, Culture & Technology, will commission artists and designers to create a youth space with interactive artistic elements. The five key focus areas are:
- Ensuring high quality, original artistic design is integrated in the formal planning process;
- Providing interactive elements to increase activation of the park;
- Including park programming for youth ages 9-15, an underserved population;
- Expanding education and curriculum development; and
- Increasing civic engagement through creative placemaking.
The first phase of planning will be community feedback on a public showcase by the final artist pool. The next phase will test a prototype of the winning design with children in school classrooms. The selected artist will work with programming consultants and landscape architects to create a final “shovel-ready” design for when full funding for the park is reached.