The Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics is doling out $20,000 worth of grants to foster art and design-based projects that address civic challenges or improve public space. Among the winners are Flying Kite favorites such as the
Public Workshop, the
University City District and
Friends of Maplewood Mall in Germantown. The awardees are as follows:
Public Workshop will receive a $6,000 grant to fund "Choose Your Own City Hall Adventure," a new signage initiative in City Hall that will help individuals navigate the serpentine public space more efficiently.
University City District will receive a $3,900 grant to create "Tree Seats," a functional art project providing seating in naturally shaded areas across the neighborhood.
The North 5th Street Revitalization Project will receive $5,100 to support the "Gateways to Olney: Where Local is Global" project, a collaborative partnership that transforms key bus stops along corridor into small-scale visitor centers.
The Friends of Maplewood Mall will receive a $5,000 grant to make physical improvements to Germantown's historic Maplewood Mall; the grant will also support arts-related programming.
The Challenge Grants Competition is a partnership between the Office of New Urban Mechanics and the
Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. Funding is provided by the
Knight Foundation and managed by
CEOs for Cities.
LEE STABERT is managing editor of Flying Kite.