DOVER, DE- Broken walls and missing bricks are common in downtown Dover, but a new initiative, the Tiny Art Project, aims to change that by bringing in local artists to turn small cracks and worn infrastructure into public art.
On August 13, members of the Downtown Dover Partnership led the Design Committee on a walkthrough to identify trouble spots, including minor maintenance issues like broken walls, missing bricks, and cracks.
Instead of traditional repairs, the Downtown Dover Partnership plans to use the Tiny Art Project to transform necessary maintenance into an opportunity to brighten and engage the downtown community.
Diane Laird of the Downtown Dover Partnership called it a fresh approach to much-needed repairs.
"It's an opportunity to look at deferred maintenance conditions downtown, and rather than fix them traditionally, it'll be a tiny art element to fix it."
The partnership aims to bring in around six local artists this fall, with approximately six to ten repair sites already selected across downtown Dover.
Some larger sites identified include the east wall outside Angelo's Pizza and a wooden plank on the Sun Ray building on South Bradford Street.
Laird says while many of these surfaces may look broken and plain now, they will soon become canvases for creativity.
"This is just unfinished wood and is a perfect opportunity for an artist to either add some mosaic, perhaps some stone or glass, or paint it or find some other creative means to make it beautiful and create public art."
Neighbors like Tashima Frost, who frequently visit downtown Dover, say the project is exactly what the area needs.
"Knowing that we have so many artists here, I think it's important to be able to leverage their talent versus just making it look like any old town. We need to give it some character."
While downtown needs repairs, Frost says involving local artists to create community-driven art will do more than fix them.
"I think it brings some character for those of us who live here, but also for those who are visiting, being able to come here and say, okay, this is a cool town."
The initiative is supported by funding from the Division of Arts and Keep Delaware Beautiful, with artists receiving $500 for each installation.
The Downtown Dover Partnership says this fall painting project is a pilot project. It hopes to continue in the spring as more sites are identified for creative, artful repairs.
Applications for the Tiny Art Project are expected to open on September 20. They will be reviewed in October, and painting is anticipated to begin on November 1.