Let’s Make Place Happen at Trenton St and Hargrove Alley!
Earlier this year, Baltimore-based public art and placemaking company Graham Projects moved to a new workshop in Station North at 101 E Trenton Street, a formerly vacant warehouse that was redeveloped into the Trenton Art Garage. As part of the building’s redevelopment, Graham Projects made a commitment to local neighborhood organizations to activate the adjacent alleys with a street mural and other placemaking features to beautify the public space and meet the needs of our neighbors.
After gathering ideas and feedback from the Trenton Alley Placemaking survey, the Graham Projects team created three pavement art concepts and a placemaking feature site plan for Trenton St and Hargrove Alley. You can check out the feedback we collected from the survey and the three concepts we created below. Feel free to share your thoughts on the designs.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by our pop up during the Station North Art Walk and shared their thoughts on the concept designs for Trenton St and Hargrove Alley. If you missed the pop up, don’t worry! We’re sharing the concepts here and we can’t wait to hear what you think.
What We Heard from the Survey
Site Plan
This conceptual site plan lays out a possible location and arrangement for various site features including planters, a bike rack, creative lighting, and traffic calming.
Concepts
Concept 1: Ebb and Grow
Feel the calming flow and floral bursts of this pavement art design that is equal parts tranquility and delight. Ebb and Flow’s community-inspired design incorporates native plants and organic forms. Stroll over the organic, water paths that connect across Trenton Street and meander down Hargrove alley and hop along the firework-like monarda flowers that float within the gentle current.
Concept 2: Fluxus Beach
Wander, convene, and create along the Fluxus Beach pavement art installation. The alley mural’s topographic curves and asymmetrical rays are inspired by meandering waterfronts and colorful futures as envisioned by the past. Swashes of blue, teal, purple, and yellow synchronize with the adjacent Movin’ & Groovin’ mural. Curvilinear paths of creativity spill from the Graham Projects entrance while angled shimmers connect the Trenton Art Garage and its neighbors. Like the seminal Fluxus art movement, this street mural playfully blends organic art actions and everyday life.
Concept 3: Stellocus Flos
Bask in the warm pull of the Stellocus Flos street mural as it wraps its energetic rays around the corner of Hargrove and Trenton Streets. The pavement artwork’s name sheds light on its meaning as a Latin portmanteau for “star-place flower”. Sunset arms of violet, blue, teal, orange, and yellow orbit a molten core of creativity. Amidst this luminous spectacle spins a narrow pink ring with gear-like teeth evoking the Trenton Art Garage’s industrial heritage. Walk into the orbit of this pedestrian-centering solar system turning humble alleys into a Hubble-worthy pavement art/place.
Questions? Contact melvin@grahamprojects.com