Arches & Access Unites People & Park

Arches & Access
Arches & Access parade kick off

Showcasing the cherished connections between Druid Hill Park and surrounding neighborhoods, the Arches & Access project illuminated and activated the historic Druid Hill Park Gate at Madison Avenue, Druid Hill Park, and the Rawlings Conservatory with colorful lights, a community parade, and a public party. On the evening of November 3rd, 2019, over three hundred residents, artists, and performers transformed Madison Avenue at Druid Park Lake Drive into a spectacular, roving block party. Neighbors collectively created a place to march, dance, and perform in celebration of our West Baltimore communities united in green space and creating safe streets for people.

Arches & Access light art

Arches & Access was a Neighborhood Lights Project presented as part of the Brilliant Baltimore / Light City festival of light and literature. The event was led by Reservoir Hill artist Jessy DeSantis, Reservoir Hill advocate Courtney Bettle, and Auchentoroly Terrace public artist Graham Coreil-Allen with major support from the Reservoir Hill Improvement Council, a grant from Baltimore Heritage, and volunteers from Beth Am Synagogue’s IFO organization. The Reservoir Hill mothers Bettle and DeSantis took inspiration from DeSantis’ colorful painting of the Arches when they came up with the idea of creating a light art project in early 2019. Later the two reached out to Coreil-Allen of Graham Projects to help realize the light art. Collectively they expanded the vision to include solar powered lights leading into the park, activated by a joyful community parade showing what life could be like without highways hindering pedestrian access to Druid Hill Park.

Arches & Access sidewalk lights
Arches & Access Catrin & Catrina parade puppets
Arches & Access Twilighters Marching Band at Rawlings Conservatory
Arches & Access dance party

Graham Projects is honored to have been apart of creating Arches & Access and look forward to working again with our community partners on making this light art and parade an annual success.

Arches & Access organizers

Click for more pictures and to read the full story of the Arches & Access project at the TAP Druid Hill website.

Arches & Access

Arches & Access
Arches & Access

Graham Projects is excited to be collaborating with Reservoir Hill artists and organizers Jessy DeSantis, Courtney Bettle, and Kate Jennings on Arches & Access. Showcasing the cherished connections between the Reservoir Hill and Druid Hill Park, Arches & Access project will illuminate and activate the landmark Druid Hill Park Gate at Madison Avenue with colorful lights, a community parade, and public walking tour. The Neighborhood Lights Project is presented as part of the Brilliant Baltimore festival of light and literature.

Arches & Access Reservoir Hill Neighborhood Lights Parade

Reservoir Hill is hosting a family-friendly light parade in conjunction with Brilliant Baltimore’s Neighborhood Lights program. Come celebrate the community connections between our park and surrounding neighborhoods! All are invited to activate the Arches & Access light art with a community parade on Sunday, November 3rd, 5:30-9pm. The family-friendly walk will feature youth-made lanterns and marching band. Come ready to impress with glow sticks, lights, and lanterns as we parade through the arches into Druid Hill Park following an illuminated pathway ending at a colorfully lit Rawlings Conservatory. There neighbors will mingle while enjoying light refreshments, including hot cocoa, music, a photo booth, and food truck.

Sunday, November 3rd, 5:30-9pm

Parade’s starting point:
Druid Hill Park Gate at Madison Avenue
2600 Madison Ave, Baltimore, MD 21217

Parade’s ending point:
Rawlings Conservatory
3100 Swann Dr, Baltimore, MD 21217

Stay tuned for kid’s lantern workshops to-be-announced.

Find out more and learn about volunteer opportunities: tapdruidhill.org/archesandaccess

Share on social media with our facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/523199925113772/

Arches & Access Evening Wander Druid Hill Park Walking Tour

Friday, November 8, 7-9pm

Meet at Madison Avenue Gate:
2600 Madison Ave, Baltimore, MD 21217

Tour is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Email cardinalspace@gmail.com to reserve your spot. Dress in warm clothes, bring a flashlight, wear comfortable shoes, and be prepared to walk or roll 1.5 miles.

The Arches & Access Evening Wander will explore monuments to community connectivity and a riptide of traffic priorities between the Druid Hill Park Gate and the Jones Falls Expressway. The 90 minute tour will focus on the history of the park, the challenging impacts of surrounding highways on local neighborhoods, engineering behind the ongoing reservoir construction, and efforts to better TAP Druid Hill through participatory transportation planning.

The tour is presented as part of the Hidden Paths exhibit at Cardinal Space. https://www.cardinalspace.com/hidden-paths

Share on social media with our facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2094358137335298/