Round two of downtown bracket challenge underway

Published 10:19 am Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Small-scale public art installation takes on shade canopy in round two of the Downtown Bracket competition.

Wayfinding signs and parklets are also going head-to-head in round two.

The Winchester Downtown Bracket, modeled after a college basketball bracket, includes eight place-making projects; this week the bracket is down to four projects: small-scale installation, shade canopy, wayfinding and parklet.

Email newsletter signup

Winchester residents can vote with donated school supplies, such as pencils, binders and more, through Wednesday in the boxes placed in front of 29 S. Main St.

Place school supplies in the red box as a vote for the shade canopy or place the supplies in the blue box as a vote for the small scale installation.

Place school supplies in the green box as a vote for the parklet project or place the supplies in the yellow box as a vote for wayfinding and signage

Donations benefit the Rowland Arts Center.

A small-scale installation would be a temporary public art installation along the high side of Main Street. The colorful, physical objects could take several forms whether they are temporary sculptural elements or overhead features intended to activate the sidewalk and public realm along the high side, according to the project proposal.

The shade canopy would be a temporary artistically-designed canopy above the sidewalk. Many cities have installed canopies consisting of a variety of materials from white Christmas lights to umbrellas and beach balls. The materials shade the sidewalk while also providing visual interest and creating a cohesive pedestrian experience, according to the project proposal.

The wayfinding project would install temporary wayfinding signs in downtown to determine where people want to go, how they get there and where the signs can have the most significant impact installed.

Parklets act as public space activators in cities across the country. Transforming an on-street parking space to public use can achieve several goals, from traffic calming to supporting local businesses that can activate the area. These spaces can range wildly in terms of design, from temporary installations to permanent pieces of the public realm.

Each of the projects are intended to cost less than $5,000 and the winning project will be installed during the summer.

About Lashana Harney

Lashana Harney is a reporter for The Winchester Sun. Her beats include schools and education, business and commerce, Winchester Municipal Utilities and other news. To contact her, email lashana.harney@winchestersun.com or call 859-759-0015.

email author More by Lashana