The City of Knoxville’s Public Arts Committee is pleased to present a Design Charrette and Public Input Meeting on Thursday, August 21, 2014, from 2-6 PM at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville to discuss the redevelopment of the City Park located at the intersection of Summit Hill Drive and Gay Street.
The meeting will be conducted by the City of Knoxville Public Art Committee and the East Tennessee Community Design Center with help from local artists, architects, and landscape architects. All are welcome to attend this free event, and participants are invited to attend the entire meeting or visit as their schedule allows.
A design charrette is defined as an intense period of design, with input from designers and users, to develop a solution to a defined problem. A local artist will partner with an architect or landscape architect to facilitate small group discussions to create a Park Concept Plan. Items for discussion may include: how to develop a park that is inviting and dynamic to people of all ages and from a variety of vantage points; how to incorporate public art into the park; how the park can function as a connector between Market Square and the Old City; and more. Each group will present their Park Concept Plan at the end of the meeting.
After the design charrette, the park concept plans will be refined and displayed at the Emporium and on social media. The public will have an opportunity to cast a vote for his or her favorite Park Concept Plan. These votes will be tallied and the highest vote getters will be developed further.
The meeting will take place at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Parking is available at metered spots on the Gay Street viaduct or in the parking lot on Jackson Avenue caddy-corner from the Emporium. For driving and parking information, visit http://www.theemporiumcenter.com/visit.html. Please RSVP to Suzanne Cada at 865-523-7543 or
[email protected]. For questions, please contact Leslie Fawaz at 865-525-9945 or
[email protected].
About the City of Knoxville’s Public Arts Committee
The City of Knoxville Public Arts Committee was created in 2008. The committee was created due to the results of the Public Arts Task Force and their recommendations to the Mayor. The purpose of the committee is “to enhance the reputation of the community, contribute to the civic environment, and enrich the lives of citizens and visitors through the involvement of professional artists to integrate public artwork throughout the City.” For more information, please visit http://www.cityofknoxville.org/boards/art.asp.
About the East Tennessee Community Design Center
Founded in 1970, ETCDC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to make East Tennessee a better place to live and work by bringing professional design and planning assistance to communities and organizations lacking resources. The Community Design Center offers its services through the pro bono contributions of area architects, landscape architects, planners and other professionals. ETCDC has assisted in a diverse range of projects, from traffic calming in neighborhoods to planning for Knoxville’s new urban wilderness. For more information, please visit http://www.communitydc.org.
About the Arts & Culture Alliance
The Arts & Culture Alliance serves and supports a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions. The Alliance receives financial support from the Tennessee Arts Commission (www.tn.gov/arts) and the City of Knoxville (www.knoxvilletn.gov).