• Encourage Urban Street Art throughout your downtown…not graffiti! Urban street art is not graffiti; it is much more clever than that. This is another “tool” that will bring the curious to your downtown.
• Turn eyesores into artwork; this opens a variety of opportunities.
• Work with local schools to find and recruit artists to undertake projects
• Get property owner’s permission (obviously) to “improve” the exterior of their property
• Work with local businesses to find urban canvases that can be used to showcase the local artists (walls, stairs, sidewalks, phone booths, utility boxes, opportunities are only limited by how clever local residents are).
Once you have artwork in place, PROMOTE IT,
PUBLICIZE IT like crazy!!! Don’t stop
with local media, utilize social media, and send press releases to the closest
major markets TV, radio and newspapers. This is not the time to be modest. News outlets are constantly looking for news
stories…give them a reason to write about your community. If you are going to
all this effort, don’t be shy about promoting it. Create a special event to unveil the
project. Be sure there is a commitment
to make this a long haul niche for your community. Turn eyesore into something of interest. This WILL draw the curious and (among other
things), become a destination for professional and amateur photographers
looking for unique locations to take pictures
