Public Art Planning

Lawrence CommunityWorks

Lawrence CommunityWorks teamed up with the City of Lawrence to hire Daniel Koff of Solomon Office and his team with the UrbanArts Institute and local artists Flynn Costello and Oscar Bogran to figure out the role of public art in the transformation of a complex of mill buildings into a new neighborhood for working families. The site, situated between the commuter rail station and the entrance to the interstate highway, functions as the transit gateway to Lawrence, yet the area stood isolated on an island of industrial space. Our team bridged divides – between the community and institutional partners, and the from one side of the canal to the other – by initiating a participatory planning process and pilot public art project that flew prayer flags which were created by local youth from one end of the canal to the other. Not only does the City have a master plan for the gateway district which can be referred to in future development phases, but the process itself initiated a conversation amongst Lawrence youth and aligned the institutional partners that are needed for continued improvements.

• Installed the '1000 Prayer Flags for Lawrence' public art pilot project which included the participation of 500+ local students
• Engaged 50+ community members in the planning session
• Master plan designed, delivered, and available here.