Neighbors near Brackett Park Paint the Pavement

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Article and photos by MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN

By 9am on Aug. 29, there was a buzz of activity at the intersection of 39th Ave. and 28th St. Traffic was blocked off in all directions, and neighbors were busily sweeping the street clean. What was going on?

Community Art 03Neighborhood resident Robin Garwood explained, while continuing to mark grid sections on the asphalt with tape and twine: “We’ve flyered the whole neighborhood,” he said, “and invited everybody to come out and help with our ‘Paint the Pavement Project.’”

Photo right: Joshua Houdek and daughter Sage loaded up their paint brushes and left their mark in the middle of 28th St., two blocks from where they live.

The inspiration started at last year’s National Night Out, on the 2800 block of 39th Ave. It’s a block with lots of young families, and they use the playground at Brackett Park all year long. 28th St. is something of a through-way, and resident Sarah Lovan was interested in finding a way to get drivers to slow down. She brainstormed with Garwood, who works as a policy aide for Councilman Cam Gordon, and several other neighbors also concerned about the intersection.

Community Art 20Photo left: Robin Garwood, lead artist and generous donor, surveyed the developing artwork.

Lovan started digging around and learned what it would take to get a Paint the Pavement Project approved at the SE corner of Brackett Park. “Springboard for the Arts provided valuable assistance,” she said. “While Minneapolis only has five such projects, St. Paul has approved many more, so they had plenty of know-how.”

Garwood was designated as “lead artist” on the project, and neighbor Robert Russell became “logistics specialist,” filling out and filing the application with the City of Minneapolis.

Garwood soon found himself bankrolling the project as well, paying from his own pocket the $50 encroachment permit and the $225 needed for the obstruction permit and four street barricades. A donation jar was set out at the event to help defray these costs; anyone wishing to contribute can send Robin a check at 2816 39th Ave. S., Minneapolis 55406.

Community Art 07As Garwood reflected back on the last 12 months, he said, “Turns out my knowledge of city government came in handy.” He added, “Unfortunately, It was a slow and a frustrating process.”

Photo left and below: Artists of all ages and levels of skill were welcome at Paint the Pavement. 

Bright spots included the vote of confidence neighbors got from the Longfellow Community Council (LCC). LCC wrote a letter of support to the City of Minneapolis, guaranteeing significant liability coverage in the unlikely event of an accident related to the project.

Welna Hardware, at 2201 E. Franklin Ave., donated six bright and beautiful gallons of paint. And the Birchwood Café, at 3311 E. 25th St., donated a great selection of delicious bars and cookies.

Community Art 04The goals of the project are to calm traffic, and to help build community by bringing neighbors together. The first goal will be measured over time. The second goal was joyfully met within minutes of the official start time.

By 10:31am, the street was filled with artists of all ages. The basic shape of the rocket, paying homage to the famous Brackett Rocket slide, was sketched out and painted by Garwood. But the rocket flames, the planets and the stars were left in the creative hands of neighbors both large and small. As Garwood summarized, “This was a terrific day and, I hope, something the kids will long remember.”

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