Artists bring color to crosswalks in New Baltimore – The Voice
Local artists bring color to New Baltimore’s crosswalks.
The city’s Arts and Culture Commission is bringing art to the streets with its Crosswalks/Safe Routes to School project. The first three of 11 crosswalks to be decorated were completed on August 23 at the corner of Washington and Front Streets across from Walter and Mary Burke Park. The artwork reflects life in the community and features images of anchors, waves and dahlias, the city flower.
The project was completed under the artistic direction of Justin Rose, a city resident and vice chair of the Arts and Culture Commission. Rose, a well-known local artist, also created the city’s new “Welcome to New Baltimore” mural, which was unveiled downtown on August 21.
According to the commission, artists spent eleven hours painting the three zebra crossings.
“It’s no small feat to close an intersection on one of the hottest days in our very busy downtown,” Mayor Tom Semaan said at a city council meeting on August 26. “So I take my hat off to them.”
The community helped to keep the artists fueled for the long day of work. The Pink House Tea Room provided breakfast for the artists, CC’s Dairy Bar brought candy, and the mayor dropped off Romeo peaches.
“Everyone had enough to drink and smile,” said Semaan.
Art on the Bay provided a grant to fund the crosswalk project. The nonprofit organization hosts the annual event every Labor Day weekend at Walter and Mary Burke Park and awards grants to individuals and groups seeking to promote art, music, dance and theater in the community.
“Thank you to members of both organizations – Ben Stone, Justin Rose, Sheryl Stankus, Jim Hodson, Suzanne Vitale, Marybeth Jamieson, Mike and Sue Wojciechowski, Bernie Krupa, Rebecca Fike and Angela Rose – for their volunteer work on the beautiful crosswalks at Washington and Front Streets,” the commission said in an Aug. 23 social media post.
The zebra crossings at the corner of Washington Street and Main Street and Washington Street and Alfred Street will also be marked, the mayor said.
Community-supported decorative crosswalks, also known as art crossings or creative crosswalks, have sprung up in many U.S. cities, according to a June 2023 report from the Institute of Transportation Engineers. Created primarily for aesthetic improvement as a result of city-community partnerships, the crosswalks can also be used to alert road users to the designated pedestrian crossing.
At the recent council meeting, several members took the time to praise the commission for its efforts to bring art to the city.
“I like what we are doing for sidewalk painting,” said Mayor Flo Hayman, noting that she is looking forward to helping with this year’s Art on the Bay.
“Kudos to the Arts and Culture Commission for unveiling the mural and painting the crosswalk,” added Council Member Jacob Dittrich.
Council member Ryan Covert, liaison to the Arts and Culture Commission, said the group has many more ideas for the future.
“We hope that this will not only be a catalyst to get people involved and contribute to these projects in the future, but also a means to bring more artists, different art forms and types of art together. So they’ll try to put together a list,” Covert said.
“There’s a lot more to come, and if they do more of this, hopefully we’ll see this kind of art spread into our neighborhoods as well so we can live surrounded by this kind of art. I think that would be pretty incredible,” he added.
Dozens of community members also expressed their support for the crosswalk project on the commission’s Facebook page.
“What a great addition to our community. Well done!” said Art on the Bay.
“From a fellow artist: I just love these!” said Marcy Lynne.
“This is incredible. I love this city,” added Laurie Scheid VanLuvender.
“Fantastic work, guys! Would love to see more art in New Baltimore,” said Beth Ann Giannosa.
Local artists are encouraged to contact the Arts and Culture Commission at 586-725-2151 or [email protected]. For more information, visit facebook.com/NBArtsCultureCommission or instagram.com/nbartsandculture.
