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Graham projects Seeks Landscape Architect or Public Artist + Project Manager

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Graham Projects is hiring a Landscape Architect or Public Artist + Project Manager banner
Graham Projects is hiring a Landscape Architect or Public Artist + Project Manager banner

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who has applied for this position! We appreciate everyone who has applied and are in the process of reviewing candidates. We are no longer accepting applications at this time.

Graham Projects seeks a creative and dedicated individual to join our team as a Landscape Architect or Public Artist + Project Manager. If you’re passionate about working with communities to transform public spaces through placemaking, public art, and traffic calming, this role is for you.

Graham Projects is a Baltimore-based design-build agency making cities more inclusive and livable through public art, placemaking, and civic engagement. Building on backgrounds in public art, urban design, ecology, and neighborhood advocacy, Public Artist Graham Coreil-Allen (he/him) and team produce participatory projects in the service of pedestrians and places. We collaborate with communities via participatory public design processes. Our works include pedestrian-safety street murals, quick-build traffic calming installations, interactive sculptures, transforming vacant lots into public spaces; and designing and fabricating artistic outdoor wayfinding, furnishings, and structures.

Click here to download position description.

Job Description

This full-time salaried position is based in Baltimore City, Maryland and the employee must live in the Baltimore metro area. Reporting to our Founding Principal, the Landscape Architect or Public Artist + Project Manager will have strategic and logistical control over their assigned projects, actively shaping the entire process of community engagement, design, and construction. Community-based projects will primarily take place in Baltimore City, Maryland and surrounding states, requiring reliable transportation and the flexibility to work nights and weekends.

This role demands a passion for walkable urbanism, public art, cultural competency, collaborative management, construction coordination, and hands-on and installation. The ideal candidate is comfortable leading community engagement in a range of diverse settings. They will be extremely organized as our team tracks the progress of projects. As a skilled designer they will efficiently create 3D CAD models, scale plans, compelling renderings, and joyful graphic designs across a range of print and digital media. Some hands-on installation work is expected as part of our culture of design-build praxis. In bringing our projects to life, the candidate will sometimes move heavy objects, operate power tools, climb ladders, direct volunteers, get paint on their clothes, and install projects in the heat and cold.

Responsibilities

Lead the Creative Placemaking Process

  • Draft project proposals and estimates
  • Develop public art, placemaking, and traffic calming design concepts
  • Engage in client / community relations
  • Procure materials and track budgets
  • Maintain shared project management files
  • Generate construction and installation plans
  • Lead installations and community build days
  • Help document the design-build process

Organizational Skills and Collaboration

  • Practice meticulous organizational protocols while staying nimble in project execution. Track project progress using shared Google Docs / Sheets / Drive, Asana project management platform, email, and Slack.
  • Collaborate with clients, stakeholders, other artists and designers, project managers, and community members on project design development.

Communication and Engagement

  • Engage in public speaking and networking opportunities.
  • Attend client kick-off meetings, lead interactive engagement events, actively participating in fast-paced project-related communication.
  • Actively build and maintain relationships with clients, community leaders, and sector partners.

Design and Documentation

  • Design placemaking, public art, and traffic calming projects using SketchUp, Layout, and Adobe CC: Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, and InDesign.
  • Clearly articulate ideas, conceptualize design directions, and review progress with the Founding Principal and/or Director of Operations at key stages for feedback and approvals.
  • Craft and contribute to the design, writing, and review of project-related documents, photos, video, social media, and reporting.

Implementation

  • Draft and submit applications to initiative municipal site plans reviews.
  • Draft, submit, and tenaciously follow up on permit applications.
  • Order supplies and coordinate deliveries.
  • Collaborate with subcontractors on support services and fabrication needs.
  • Work closely with the Director of Operations on scheduling installations.
  • Manage logistics, coordinate with the install team, lead community volunteers, and participate in installations.
  • Assist with photographic and video documentation of installations.

Qualifications

  • Preferred experience: 5-7 years of demonstrated skill in creative placemaking, urban design, community engagement, project management, business development, creating concepts through construction drawings, hands-on public art / placemaking installation, and construction review.
  • Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in landscape architecture, visual art, urban planning, transportation; OR equivalent experience and skills related to the described responsibilities.
  • Passionate about cities, walkable urbanism, public art, and placemaking.
  • Creative designer, maker, and problem solver. 
  • Flexibility with work schedule and tasks as company services evolve. 
  • Ability to work independently with at times limited direction, making decisions based on company principals and project goals. 
  • Ability to meet tight timelines, prioritize among competing needs and opportunities, and simultaneously manage multiple projects. 
  • Demonstrated ability to secure projects, whether through earned relationships, grants, or RFQs/RFPs.
  • Interest in staying informed on local transportation, planning, and social justice issues. Comfortable with tactfully discussing challenging topics with community members and government officials.
  • Experience with planning and running public events such as in-person and virtual workshops, charrettes, community meetings, tabling at festivals, etc.
  • Knowledge of Baltimore City culture and neighborhoods is a plus.
  • Technical Proficiency with:
    • Project and collaboration software including or similar to Google Docs / Sheets / Drive, Asana project management platform, Slack, and Zoom.
    • Design software including AutoCAD, SketchUp, Layout, Canva, and Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, and InDesign.
    • Experience with woodworking power tools and/or digital fabrication such as 3d printing, laser cutting, and CNC routing is a plus.

Workplace & Schedule

This position will be primarily in-person, working from our design studio and fabrication workshop during typical business hours. Community engagement and installations require some evening and weekend work, especially April – October.

Compensation and Benefits

  • $60,000 – $75,000 / yr commensurate with experience
  • 7 days of flexible PTO plus 7 paid typical holidays off 
  • Healthcare monthly stipend or optional salary equivalent
  • Retirement savings account

To Apply

Graham Projects is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences who share our vision of making cities more inclusive and livable to apply.

Send your resume, cover letter that details your interest in the position and experience, and links to documentation of landscape/urban design, public art and/or placemaking projects you have worked on to info@grahamprojects.com. Include “LA/PA + PM” in the subject line. No phone calls, please.

Graham projects Seeks Painter / Fabricator + Events Assistant

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Graham Projects is hiring a Painter / Fabricator + Events Assistant banner
Graham Projects is hiring a Painter / Fabricator + Events Assistant banner

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who has applied for this position! We appreciate everyone who has applied and are in the process of reviewing candidates. We are no longer accepting applications at this time.

Graham Projects is seeking a passionate and skilled Painter / Fabricator + Events Assistant to help create street murals, build outdoor sculptures and furnishings, and lead community engagement events. The ideal candidate has experience in various commercial painting techniques, knows basic carpentry, and is comfortable leading public events in a range of diverse settings.

Graham Projects is a Baltimore-based design-build agency making cities more inclusive and livable through public art, placemaking, and civic engagement. Building on backgrounds in public art, urban design, ecology, and neighborhood advocacy, Public Artist Graham Coreil-Allen (he/him) and team produce participatory projects in the service of pedestrians and places. We collaborate with communities via participatory public design processes. Our works include pedestrian-safety street murals, quick-build traffic calming installations, interactive sculptures, transforming vacant lots into public spaces; and designing and fabricating artistic outdoor wayfinding, furnishings, and structures.

Click here to download position description.

Job Description

The Painter / Fabricator + Events Assistant role requires reading scale plans, laying out large compositions, observing attention to detail, maintaining high quality, and working independently or as part of a team. The candidate will be responsible for preparing pavement and outdoor surfaces, applying heavy duty coating products and paint, cutting / assembling / finishing basic wood structures, and ensuring that all work meets the highest standards. They will work efficiently, maintain a tidy site, and practice construction safety standards. In bringing our projects to life, the candidate will move heavy objects, operate power tools, climb ladders, direct volunteers, get paint on their clothes, and projects in the heat and cold. In addition, the candidate will engage community members in public settings, and help set up and breakdown outdoor events. The candidate must be computer literate and able to contribute to tracking the progress of projects via our collaborative project management systems. 

This full-time position is based in Baltimore City, Maryland and the employee must live in the Baltimore metro area. Reporting to our Founding Principal, the Painter / Fabricator + Events Assistant will be a key member of our installation and events team. Community-based projects will primarily take place in Baltimore City, Maryland and surrounding states, requiring a candidate with reliable transportation and the flexibility to work nights and weekends.

Responsibilities

General Duties

  • Meet early in the morning on a regular basis at our workshop or job site.
  • Maintain a clean and organized work environment throughout the project duration.
  • Wear proper PPE and observe construction safety protocols.
  • Use computers to document progress through project management software, email, and shared cloud documents.

Painting and Fabrication

  • Prepare surfaces for coating / painting by brooming, cleaning, and filling holes or cracks as necessary.
  • Apply epoxy coatings, paint, varnish, thermoplastic and other products using brushes, rollers, spray equipment, and torches.
  • Follow schematics and plans to accurately complete projects.
  • Mix and match paint colors to achieve the desired shade, ensuring consistency across areas.
  • Conduct concrete finishing tasks when required for specific projects.
  • Execute basic woodworking techniques; including cutting and assembling lumber, sanding and finishing, moving, and installing outdoor furnishings.
  • Collaborate with other tradespeople on construction sites to ensure project timelines are met.

Event Support

  • Assist with setup, breakdown, and facilitation of community engagement events.
  • Interact politely and professionally with community members at public events.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

  • Proven experience in commercial painting or mural creation.
  • Proficiency with power tools and basic carpentry.
  • Ability to work independently with at times limited direction. 
  • A valid driver’s license for travel between job sites.
  • Basic computer skills for email and project management software.
  • Strong attention to detail with a focus on delivering high-quality results.
  • Meet tight timelines and simultaneously manage multiple tasks.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Pavement markings and coatings experience.
  • OSHA 10 or 30 certification.
  • Experience running public events such as workshops or community meetings.

Workplace & Schedule

This position will be primarily in-person, working from our main workshop, off site storage, and on site during typical construction hours. Community engagement and installations require some evening and weekend work, especially April – October.

Compensation and Benefits

  • $25 – $30 and hour
  • 7 days of flexible PTO plus 7 paid typical holidays off 
  • Healthcare monthly stipend or optional salary equivalent
  • Retirement savings account

To Apply

Graham Projects is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences who share our vision of making cities more inclusive and livable to apply.

Send your resume, cover letter that details your interest in the position and experience, and links to documentation of past work to info@grahamprojects.com. Include “Painter / Fabricator + Events Assistant” in the subject line. No phone calls.

Graham projects is Hiring an Urban Designer & Placemaker

Published at In Category News Tags: , , , ,
Graham Projects Hiring Urban Designer & Placemaker
Graham Projects Hiring Urban Designer & Placemaker

Graham Projects is a Baltimore-based design-build agency making cities more inclusive and livable through public art, placemaking, and civic engagement. Building on backgrounds in public art, urban design, ecology, and neighborhood advocacy, Public Artist Graham Coreil-Allen (he/him) and team produce participatory projects in the service of pedestrians and places. We collaborate with communities via participatory public design processes to improve and activate public spaces with creative placemaking projects. Our works include pavement murals, traffic calming art installations, neighborhood plans, transforming vacant lots into public spaces, and using digital and manual techniques to design and fabricate artistic outdoor wayfinding, furnishings and structures.

The Graham Projects team is looking for an Urban Designer & Placemaker with a passion for working with communities to enhance public spaces through sustainable urbanism, public art, urban planning, and community advocacy. 

Click here to download position description.

Job Description

This full-time salaried position is based in Baltimore City, Maryland and the employee must live in the Baltimore metro area. Reporting to our Founding Principal, the Urban Designer & Placemaker will have strategic and logistical control over their assigned projects, actively shaping the entire project process of community engagement, design, and construction. As a member of our company leadership, this role plays a pivotal part in Graham Projects’ growth, requiring the candidate to be hands-on and influential. Projects will primarily take place in Baltimore City, Maryland and surrounding states, requiring a candidate with reliable transportation and the flexibility to work nights and weekends.

This role demands a passion for walkable urbanism and public art, cultural competency, collaborative management, digital prowess, and physical resilience. The ideal candidate will be comfortable leading community engagement in a range of diverse settings. They will be extremely organized as we collaboratively track the progress of projects. As a skilled designer they will efficiently create 3D CAD models, scale plans, compelling renderings, and fun graphic designs across a range of print and digital media. In bringing our projects to life, they will move heavy objects, operate power tools, climb ladders, direct volunteers, get paint on their clothes, and install public art and placemaking in the heat and cold. 

Responsibilities

Lead the Creative Placemaking Process

  • Draft project proposals and estimates
  • Develop public art and placemaking design concepts
  • Engage in client / community relations
  • Procure materials and track budgets
  • Maintain shared project management files
  • Generate construction and installation plans
  • Lead installations and community build days
  • Help document the design-build process

Organizational Skills and Collaboration

  • Practice meticulous organizational protocols while staying nimble in project execution. Track project progress using shared Google Docs / Sheets / Drive, Asana project management platform, email, and Slack.
  • Collaborate with clients, stakeholders, other artists and designers, project managers, and community members on project design development.

Communication and Engagement

  • Engage in public speaking and networking opportunities.
  • Attend client kick-off meetings, lead interactive engagement events, actively participating in fast-paced project-related communication.
  • Actively build and maintain relationships with clients, community leaders, and sector partners.

Design and Documentation

  • Design public art and placemaking projects using SketchUp, Layout, Canva, and Adobe Creative Cloud: Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, and InDesign.
  • Clearly articulate ideas, conceptualize design directions, and review progress with the Founding Principal and/or Director of Operations at key stages for feedback and approvals.
  • Craft and contribute to the design, writing, and review of project-related documents, photos, video, social media, and reporting.

Implementation

  • Draft and submit applications to initiative municipal site plans reviews.
  • Draft, submit, and tenaciously follow up on permit applications.
  • Order supplies and coordinate deliveries.
  • Collaborate with subcontractors on support services and fabrication needs.
  • Work closely with the Director of Operations on scheduling installations.
  • Manage logistics, coordinate with the install team, lead community volunteers, and participate in installations.
  • Assist with photographic and video documentation of installations.

Qualifications

  • College Degree in landscape architecture, urban planning, architecture, design, visual art, transportation; OR equivalent experience and skills related to the described responsibilities.
  • Passionate about cities, walkable urbanism, public art, and placemaking.
  • Creative designer, maker, and problem solver. 
  • Flexibility with work schedule and tasks as company services evolve. 
  • Ability to work independently with at times limited direction, making decisions based on company principals and project goals. 
  • Ability to meet tight timelines, prioritize among competing needs and opportunities, and simultaneously manage multiple projects. 
  • Demonstrated ability to secure projects, whether through earned relationships, grants, or RFQs/RFPs.
  • Interest in staying informed on local transportation, planning, and social justice issues. Comfortable with tactfully discussing challenging topics with community members and government officials.
  • Experience with planning and running public events such as in-person and virtual workshops, charrettes, community meetings, tabling at festivals, etc.
  • Knowledge of Baltimore City geography and neighborhoods is a plus. 
  • Technical Proficiency with:
  • Project and collaboration software including or similar to Google Docs / Sheets / Drive, Asana project management platform, Slack, and Zoom.
  • Design software including SketchUp, Layout, Canva, and Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, and InDesign.
  • Intermediate woodworking power tools use and safety protocol.
  • Experience with digital fabrication such as 3d printing, laser cutting, and CNC routing is a plus.

Workplace & Schedule

This position is primarily work-from-home for design tasks, which usually take place during typical business hours. Community engagement and installations require some evening and weekend work, especially during our busy season from April through October. A company design studio and fabrication workshop is currently under development. Access to the shared workspace is estimated to begin 2025.

Compensation and Benefits

  • $50,000 – $60,000 / yr commensurate with experience
  • 7 days of flexible PTO plus 7 paid typical holidays off 
  • Flexible work environment: work-from-home and in the field
  • Healthcare monthly stipend or optional salary equivalent
  • Retirement savings account

To Apply

Graham Projects is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages candidates of diverse backgrounds and experience to apply. Send your resume, cover letter that details your interest in the position and your experience, and links to documentation of urban design, public art and/or placemaking projects you have worked on to info@grahamprojects.com. Include “Urban Designer & Placemaker” in the subject line. No phone calls, please.

Graham Projects on BmoreArt

Published at In Category News Tags: , , , ,
BmoreArt Collaboration Graham Projects hand holding magazine
BmoreArt Collaboration Graham Projects hand holding magazine

We are honored and humbled to have our public art for pedestrian safety featured on the cover of BmoreArt’s latest print journal. Edited by longtime Baltimore arts ally, artist, and writer Cara Ober, the “Collaboration Issue” features stories about “artists whose practice invites others in, organizations who prioritize collective action, and institutional entities willing to elevate local partners.” Thank you to critical raconteur and stalwart flâneur Michael Farley for writing the piece on our work: “GO PLAY IN TRAFFIC: Graham Projects Reimagines More Joyous Streets”.

Bravo to the entire BmoreArt team for producing such a gorgeous publication and hosting an amazing release party at the marvelous George Peabody Library. Props to the BmoreArt Publication Designer Tony Venne for the always outstanding layout. 

Special thanks to the Reservoir Hill Improvement Council for bringing us in to create our community-inspired Seasonal Turn traffic calming art at Whitelock and Brookfield.

Click here to read the article!

Click here to get your copy of the BmoreArt print journal.

BmoreArt Collaboration Graham Projects Graham, Michael, and Cara in Peabody Library
BmoreArt Collaboration Graham Projects title spread
BmoreArt Collaboration Graham Projects install team preview
BmoreArt Collaboration Graham Projects quote preview over Druid Hill Canopy Crosswalk
BmoreArt Collaboration Graham Projects quote preview over Remingtopo
BmoreArt Collaboration Graham Projects spread preview featuring Allover Eyes project

NATCO 2021 Pandemic Grant Report is Out and Baltimore Lake2Lake is In!

Published at In Category News Tags: , , , , ,
Lake2Lake Rayobello action shot of resident jogging
Lake2Lake Rayobello action shot of resident jogging

In 2021, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (BCDOT) was awarded a $50,000 Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery Grant to help adapt streets in service of communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO).

Graham Projects was an integral part of the BCDOT Lake 2 Lake Project application alongside fellow community partners Bikemore and Black People Ride Bikes. The grant funded community engagement activities for traffic calming, mobile bike shop pop-ups, group bike rides, and the pavement art installation at 33rd Street and Hillen Road.

This project leveraged existing BCDOT plans for traffic calming at the main intersection gateway to Lake Montebello at 33rd Street and Hillen Road as well as maintenance and repairs to The Big Jump shared-use path leading to Druid Hill Park. Graham Projects provided project branding design, facilitated community engagement, and solicited community-based design inspiration through COVID-19-safe pop-up drawing events and via COLORoW, our custom online public art drawing tool. Based on the public conversations and drawings submitted by residents, Graham Projects developed design proposals that over 500 residents voted on in selecting the final work of traffic calming public art.

Community partner organizations, Bikemore and Black People Ride hosted a community event in November 2021 celebrating the project and unveiling the traffic calming plan by BCDOT and the community inspired pavement art design by Graham Projects named Rayobello. Local residents inspired the design by sharing their cherished experiences witnessing colorful sunrises and sunsets as seen from the lake.

Lake2Lake Druid Hill Farmers Market Pop-Up
Lake2Lake Play Day with residents stenciling art on pavement around Lake Montebello and inflatable trees in the background
Lake2Lake Rayobello aerial view

Learn how the community inspired Rayobello:

Lake 2 Lake Project Case Study

Learn about grant that supported Lake 2 Lake:

NACTO Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery Grant

NACTO Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery 2021 Grant Report

Lake2Lake Rayobello birds-eye view park entrance

New Public Sites Spring Tours

Published at In Category News Tags: , , ,
New Public Sites Spring 2019 tours
New Public Sites Spring 2019 tours

The Graham Projects’ walking tour program New Public Sites is excited to offer four tours this spring in Baltimore City and Arlington, VA. Baltimore City tours are offered in partnership with Baltimore Heritage. Arlington tours are offered as part of the Arlington Public Art and Rosslyn BID programming. Check back for updates on registering for the tours in Arlington.

Auchentoroly Terrace by Foot

Auchentoroly Terrace by Foot walking tour

April 20, 2019, 10:00 am – 12:00

Free to neighborhood residents:
RSVP: graham@grahamprojects.com

$15 general public. Tickets & Info:
https://baltimoreheritage.org/event/auchentoroly-terrace-by-foot-a-historic-neighborhood-a-changing-druid-hill-park/

Originally named Auchentorolie after the ancestral estate of the area’s first owner, George Buchanan, today’s Auchentoroly Terrace neighborhood is made up of wonderful houses built at the height of the Victorian era. It is also at the forefront of change. The drinking water reservoir in neighboring Druid Hill Park is undergoing a dramatic shift and neighborhood leaders are working with city officials to improve the park’s accessibility by transforming its encircling highways into complete streets.

Join local resident and public artist Graham Coreil-Allen, a community leader working on neighborhood and park planning, on a walking tour to learn about the history of Auchentoroly Terrace and Druid Hill Park, as well as the direction they both are heading in the near future. Local leaders and heritage advocates Ms. Barbara Anderson-Dandy, Ms. Sandra Almond Cooper and Ms. Donna Cypress will also speak about the neighborhood’s significant African American history.

West Columbia Pike

Wandering the West Pike

Saturday, May 11 (rain date Saturday, May 25) • 11 am – 1 pm

Meet at Arlington Mill Plaza • S. Dinwiddie Street & Columbia Pike

Free! Click here to RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wandering-the-west-pike-tickets-59713828669

All visionaries are invited to attend the “Wandering the West Pike” walking tour with artist Graham Coreil-Allen to explore and reimagine the public spaces of Columbia Pike’s West End.

Highlights:

  • Experience the history, urban design, and current uses of Columbia Pike.
  • Learn about transportation improvements currently under construction.
  • Share about your own natural, secret and informal public spaces.
  • Imagine the future public art projects taking place along the Pike, including  “The Pike” by Donald Lipski.

Rosslyn Public Art

Rosslyn Public Art Walking Tour

May 11, 2:30-4pm & June 6, 6-7:30pm

Free! Click here to RSVP: https://www.rosslynva.org/do/rosslyn-public-art-walking-tour

Tours meet at Central Place Plaza: 1800 N Lynn St, Arlington, VA 22209

Join one of Arlington County’s Public Artists in Residence, Graham Coreil-Allen, for a free Rosslyn Public Art Walking Tour. During this 90 minute tour, participants will discover the history, design, and purpose of Rosslyn’s celebrated public art collection. Taking advantage of Rosslyn’s pedestrian-friendly character, the tour will also explore a robust network of spectacular, hidden, and new public spaces. Throughout the tours Coreil-Allen will create opportunities for playful interaction and inclusive discussion. Highlights include Liquid Pixels, Cupid’s Garden, the new Rosslyn Parklet and Street Furniture, and Dark Star Park.

The 2019 Rosslyn Public Art Walking Tours are presented by Rosslyn BID.

Druid Hill Park by Bike

Druid Lake Wallace Construction

June 8, 2019, 9:30am-12pm

Tickets $15. Purchase tickets and find out more:
https://baltimoreheritage.org/event/the-nooks-and-crannies-of-druid-hill-park-by-bike/

Escape the sensory overload of the big city and spend a quiet, serene June morning exploring the nooks and crannies of beautiful Druid Hill Park with amateur historian Ralph Brown and public artist and park neighbor Graham Coreil-Allen.  Find out why a “Know Nothing” party mayor in the late 1850’s left this magnificent gift to Baltimore. Discover the hidden zen garden of Druid Hill Park and meet its creator. Explore Baltimore’s history of segregation through testimonials present in the park today. Learn how Druid Lake has provided drinking water for nearly 150 years and behold the sublime piles of dirt that preview its recreational future. See how the park has changed in its appearance since it was established back in 1860 and what the hopes are for improved resident access going forward. If you can ride a bike you can do this ride since it will be on mostly flat dedicated, safe bike trails

Druid Hill Complete Streets

Published at In Category Advocacy, News Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment
Graham Coreil-Allen headshot

Graham Coreil-Allen headshot

I’m honored and humbled to announce that I have been awarded a 2018 Open Society Institute (OSI) Baltimore Community Fellowship providing me with eighteen months of funding and organizing support as I collaborate with residents on reconnecting our West Baltimore neighborhoods with Druid Hill Park. Through the Druid Hill Complete Streets project I will be working with my neighbors to ensure that a forthcoming Baltimore City Department of Transportation (DOT) planning effort is as reflective of community voices as possible as we seek to convert the dangerous barrier highways around Druid Hill Park into complete streets safe and accessible for all – especially the approximately 50% of area residents who do not drive. Complete Streets are streets designed and operated to be safe and accessible for all, including pedestrians, transit users, wheelchair riders, and people who rely on bicycles. During the fellowship I will be working with local youth to create traffic calming public art to slow down cars and improve pedestrian safety. Potential ideas include mural-filled crosswalks, artistic planters protecting pedestrians, and creative signs reminding motorists where pedestrians have the right-of-way.

Auchentoroly Terrace walking tour
Auchentoroly Terrace community advocacy walk with city agencies, 2017.

West Baltimore’s historic work class neighborhoods of color have systematically been denied safe access to Druid Hill Park due to dangerous six-to-nine-lane-wide highways constructed over community opposition between the 1940s and the 1960s. Click here to read my story about the history behind the highways cutting off the neighborhoods of Mondawmin, Penn North, and Reservoir Hill from Druid Hill Park. The formerly two-lane, park-front streets of Auchentoroly Terrace and Druid Park Lake Drive were widened into high-speed highways primarily serving suburban commuters at the expense of park access for local residents.

Structurally racist urban planning decisions to build highways around Druid Hill Park make it difficult for the residents to enjoy the park’s public health benefits, including exercise, healthy food, and clean air. The Baltimore City Health Department’s 2017 Neighborhood Health Profiles show that the majority working class, African American communities around the park have some of the city’s highest mortality rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Click here for the Penn North / Reservoir Hill and Greater Mondawmin health reports. Census data also shows that approximately half of residents in the immediate area code of 21217 do not drive. As pedestrians, transit users, wheelchair riders, and people who rely on bicycles, our residents deserve priority access to the park.

Druid Hill Complete Streets map and challenges

Since moving to Auchentoroly Terrace in 2013 I’ve listened to my neighbors talk about and experienced firsthand the need for more crosswalks, narrower roadways, less vehicular traffic, and slower speeds. With no playground in our neighborhood, I all too often witness small children on foot and bike darting across eight lanes of high speed traffic to reach the safe green spaces and play areas of Druid Hill Park. I also see how my retired, car-free neighbors are unable to reach the Druid Hill Farmers Market due to a lack of safe, convenient crosswalks. Most at risk are wheelchair riders who along sections of the park are blocked by non-ADA pathways.

In response to community transportation needs, 7th District Councilman Leon F. Pinkett III convened the Druid Hill Park Stakeholders group in early 2017. The group includes representatives from Mondawmin, Auchentoroly Terrace, and Reservoir Hill; Baltimore City agencies including the Departments of Transportation, Public Works, and Recreation and Parks; as well as non-profits including Bikemore, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and Parks & People. We are also reaching out to more local leaders and organizations to bring into the planning and advocacy effort. Thanks to the councilman’s leadership, in February 2018 Baltimore City DOT agreed to conduct a major transportation study to address our community’s concerns. This study will build on two ongoing local initiatives, the Big Jump Baltimore and the Baltimore Greenway Trail Network northwest trail planning effort. As an OSI Community Fellow, I will work full-time with my neighbors to shape this forthcoming transportation plan for rebuilding the dangerous barrier-highways of Druid Park Lake Drive and Auchentoroly Terrace as accessible boulevards that safely connect our most vulnerable residents with Druid Hill Park.

The Druid Hill Complete Streets initiative will support community education, creative urban planning, and traffic calming through public art. We will organize community-led walking tours in which youth, seniors, wheelchair riders, elected officials, and city planners learn from one another while seeking common ground for enacting equitable park access. We will also creatively engage residents in the ongoing DOT planning process through a new website, social media campaign, and activities at places like the Druid Hill Farmers Market to get input from residents who may not be able to make traditional public meetings. Lastly, we will collaborate with youth to create traffic calming public art around Druid Hill Park based on community design workshops in which residents will identify sites for enhancing pedestrian safety and reconnecting with the park. These low-cost interventions will have an immediate positive impact on park connectivity and public health while enabling residents and the public at large to envision the possibilities for complete streets.

The schedule of events and public art production will be determined by the yet-to-be-confirmed DOT study timeline. The Druid Hill Complete Streets project will bring together diverse neighborhood groups to shape the upcoming improvements around the park, empowering communities to claim our public spaces through creative city planning and public art interventions.

2018 Fall New Public Sites Walking Tours

Published at In Category News Tags: , , , , , , , ,
New Public Sites Tours Fall 2018

New Public Sites Tours Fall 2018

This fall New Public Sites is excited to offer one new walking tour in Arlington, Virginia, Wandering the West Pike, and three classics in Baltimore City; Inner Harbor Baltimore Drift, Station North Ave, and Druid Hill Reservoir Interchange! The tours series focuses on the intersecting issues of public space access, transportation equity, creative placemaking, and how residents are shaping places through everyday actions.

All tours are free and open to the public, but spots are limited so be sure to register. The Fall 2018 New Public Sites tours are made possible with support from Arlington Arts and Free Fall Baltimore.

Free Fall Baltimore is presented by BGE, and is a program of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Wandering the West PikeWandering the West Pike

Saturday, October 13, 11:00 am-12:30pm
Free! Click here to register

Rain date: Saturday, October 20, 11:00 am-12:30pm

As one of the most diverse corridors in the country, Arlington, Virginia’s Columbia Pike in many ways represents the future of American culture and urbanism. On Wandering the West Pike walking tour participants will learn about how residents new and old are adapting suburban public spaces along Columbia Pike to meet their urban needs. Join us to explore and reimagine the public spaces of Columbia Pike’s West End. Learn about transportation improvements currently under construction. Imagine future public art projects taking place along the Pike, including  “The Pike” by Donald Lipski. Learn more…

Inner Harbor Baltimore Drift bannerInner Harbor Baltimore Drift

Sunday, October 14, 2-4pm
Free! Click here to register

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is a celebrated success of waterfront redevelopment, but its spectacular looks disguise a contested past and challenging present. Join us on Inner Harbor Baltimore Drift to discover the real stories of how powerful people, visionary plans, and community movements are still transforming the former industrial wharf into a premiere public space for all. Learn more…

New Public Sites Station North AvenueStation North Ave

Sunday, October 21, 2-4pm
Free! Click here to register

As a major thoroughfare in Baltimore’s premier arts district, North Avenue in seeing increasing arts, entertainment, and education development. The Station North Avenue tour explores the history of North Avenue as a transportation and cultural corridor, and the ongoing impact of creative placemaking in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District. Learn more…

New Public Sites Druid Hill Reservoir InterchangeDruid Hill Reservoir Interchange

Sunday, October 28, 2-4pm
Free! Click here to register

Druid Hill Reservoir Interchange will explore the overlapping embankments and sidewalks to nowhere between the Jones Falls Expressway and the Druid Hill Park Reservoir. The tour will focus on the history of the the park and surrounding highways, and details about the current reservoir construction project. Along the way, we will also share about the community movement afoot supporting pedestrian safety improvements around the park. Learn more…

Free Fall BaltimoreBaltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts

Choose Your Own Adventure at Artscape!

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Choose Your Own Adventure

Choose Your Own Adventure

Its July in Baltimore, which means its time for the nation’s largest free art festival – Artscape! Building off of the outrageous success of last year’s Dancing Forest of inflatable trees, I’m now teaming up with with fellow Baltimore public artist Becky Borlan on Choose Your Own Adventure! Choose your own Adventure will transform the Charles Street Bridge at Penn Station into a colorful playscape of pedestrian pathways and hanging beach balls. Spray chalk lines will mark a site-based map converging under a forest of beach balls hanging from an open air structure.

Choose Your Own Adventure at Artscape 2018
Charles Street Bridge at Penn Station, Baltimore, MD, 21201
July 20-22, 2018
Friday: 11am-9pm, Saturday: 11am-9pm, Sunday: 11am-7pm
After hours: Friday and Saturday 9pm-11pm
Free and open to the public

Choose your own Adventure takes inspiration from the natural paths taken by street-crossing pedestrians, the Jones Falls and train tracks below, and the joyful experiences of summer-inspired toys. The kinetic environment will feature hundreds of colorful, translucent beach balls and multiple lounging options for festival goers to find respite from the summer sun. Participants who choose to explore will discover curious signs offering choices for adventures beyond. Through tactical urbanism and creative design, the installation will preview possibilities for completely transforming the Charles Street Bridge into an immersive pedestrian environment and playful visionary experience.

Behold the Land of Transportation Innovation

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Baltimore Banner Vista

Baltimore Banner Vista

Join us July 4th, 4:30-6:30pm, for the official opening of Art on the Waterfront, a group show of temporary public art featuring the Baltimore Banner Vista. The Baltimore Banner Vista showcases the city’s past and future transportation innovations converging around Middle Branch Park. Participants are invited to sit at a marked spot on the fire pit ledge to see the life-size “postcard” blend into the surrounding landscape. The vista banner evokes the history of transportation manufacturing in Port Covington by depicting Ross Winans’ famous Cigar Ship constructed across the Middle Branch in 1858. The banner also features the proposed Baltimore-Washington Superconducting Maglev Train as well as a speculative anti-gravitational flight craft. The Baltimore Banner Vista inspires wonder and possibility for transportation advancements within this spectacular view of Baltimore City.

Click her for more photos of the installation: https://grahamprojects.com/projects/baltimore-banner-vista

Art on the Waterfront
Middle Branch Park, 3301 Waterview Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21230
Opening Reception: July 4, 2018, 4:30-6:30pm, followed by music by DJ ”Derrick Jennings” and Jonathan Gilmore, then fireworks at 9:30pm
On display July 4 – September 28, 2018

Art on the Waterfront features Becky Borlan’s Prisms, which pays homage to Baltimore City’s harbor and history of sailing; Graham Coreil-Allen’s Baltimore Banner Vista, which highlights the city’s past and future transportation innovations; Ashley Kidner’s Pollinator Hexagon, which draws attention to the importance of pollinator plants; and Matthias Neumann’s Basics #24, which explores an abstracted notion of form, space and utility in public sculpture.

Art on the Waterfront is produced by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts and supported by the Baltimore City Department of Recreation & Parks, South Baltimore Gateway Partnership, the City of Baltimore, and the Baltimore Casino Local Development Council.