Huntington, WV
Enlivening distressed neighborhoods with community-inspired art
The Project
Building on the Huntington Innovation Project plan to revitalize Huntington’s three most distressed neighborhoods – Fairfield, Highlawn, and the West End – the City commissioned artist Chelsea Hart from a national open call to design three community- driven asphalt art projects. This community-backed placemaking effort was designed to spark more vibrant spaces, boost safety, and draw the public to long-neglected but emerging areas of revitalization and creativity. After getting input from residents during a series of community meetings, Hart created brightly colored designs that reflect the unique cultures of each neighborhood. Residents voted on the final designs, and were then invited to volunteer to help paint during two weekend in summer of 2022.
The Huntington, WV community came together on a community art project
“Public art really has a positive impact on communities. There’s a ton of studies of all the positivity that it brings – from bringing people together, having a sense of place, making people happy, making people feel safer – so whenever I can help bring a mural to a community like that, it feels really good.”
Chelsea Hart, Artist
Use the slider to see the transformation
Press
West End asphalt art project inspired by fabric of neighborhood (Herald Dispatch, August 11, 2022)
Design for Fairfield asphalt art project revealed (Herald Dispatch, August 9, 2022)
First of three asphalt projects to get underway next week in Huntington; volunteers sought (WCHS, July 28, 2022)
Meetings scheduled for community input on Huntington asphalt art projects (WCHS, June 22, 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.
