Little Rock, Arkansas
Drawing attention to pedestrians in a high-traffic walkway
The Project
While SoMA neighborhood has many new restaurants and retail shops, the traffic on Main Street was not slowing or observing crosswalks for the increasing number of people walking in the area. After choosing the intersection of 13th and Main for a new artwork designed to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety, the Downtown Little Rock Partnership (DLRP) issued a call for artists. Kait Culbertson was selected from among 3 finalists by a committee as well as a community survey that received more than 1,200 responses. Culbertson used a large football field stencil to lay out the outlines of the flowers, and together they recruited local volunteers to install the mural.
Once the project was announced, the SoMa neighborhood crowdfunded a second street mural one block to the north. To keep the traffic disruption to a minimum, both murals were completed on the same weekend. This proved especially beneficial also because it allowed for the professional installers of theSoMA mural to be available, advise, and work with the artist and volunteers for Superbloom, all of whom were working on a public mural for the first time.
We now have more people living, walking and riding bikes [in the SoMA neighborhood], and we hope Superbloom’s bright colors and imagery will encourage drivers to slow down and look out for pedestrians as they enjoy this increasingly walkable community.
Gabe Holmstrom, Executive Director, Downtown Little Rock Partnership
Use the slider to see the transformation
Press
Talking To The Artist Behind The New Street Mural In The Soma District (Katv, July 10, 2024)
Little Rock’s Newest Public Artwork Comes In Completion Of Superbloom Mural (KATV, June 30, 2024)
New street murals painted in SoMa neighborhood in downtown Little Rock (KARK, June 29, 2024)
Two murals installed in SoMa neighborhood (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via Youtube, July 1, 2024)
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.
