East Providence, RI
Creating a safer school–park connection
The Project
In East Providence, Rhode Island, Mercer Street divides the Hennessey Elementary School from the Pierce Field athletic complex commonly used by the school community and surrounding neighborhood residents. With cracked sidewalks and lacking designated pedestrian crosswalks, the street did not provide a safe and walkable environment for students, families, and educators, as well as neighborhood residents walking and biking in the area. To address these challenges, the City of East Providence partnered with the East Providence Arts Council to commission local artist Anna Dugan to design five whimsical crosswalk murals through a community engaged design process. These colorful crosswalks were installed along Mercer Street with the participation of over 70 volunteers to provide safe, welcoming connections between the school and the recreation center. The new public art works catalyzed further improvements in the area, including the installation of new concrete sidewalks and additional street tree plantings.
- The percentage of people who reported feeling safe as a pedestrian increased from 59% to 91%
- Positive perception of the street rose significantly, with the percentage of people who “like the way the project area looks” increasing from 20% to 93%
“This project has been in the works for many years and it was exciting and heartwarming to see it come to light at the community painting in September. It was a true community project bringing Anna’s work to life and those murals will be enjoyed by many in the years to come.”
Stacey Messier, Dean of Students, Agnes B. Hennessey Elementary School
Use the slider to see the transformation
Press
East Providence’s ‘Asphalt Art Initiative’ is completed at Hennessey Elementary (East Bay RI, September 14, 2022)
For inspiration and tips for the creation of art on roadways and public places, download the Bloomberg Associates Asphalt Art Guide which features successful plaza and roadway art activations around the world, as well as key steps for developing such projects.
