Springville receives T-Mobile grant to revitalize downtown through public art walking routes

SPRINGVILLE — Springville's downtown area will receive some sprucing up and an art makeover after the city was awarded the T-Mobile Hometown Grant.

The grant is a total of $49,000 that the city will use to install Art Loops: Downtown, an interactive public art experience that connects the Springville Museum of Art, the Springville Library and the Civic Center.

"It is a really exciting public art project, a really innovative way to use public art to connect these different civic aspects in Springville," said Emily Larsen, director of the Springville Museum of Art.

From large-scale sculptures and wall murals to small stamped poetry in the concrete and sidewalk games, the art loops will display "all sorts of different public art" along the blocks of downtown between the buildings, Larsen said.

"The whole idea is there will be some really large-scale, really impressive public art pieces and then a lot of little things that you'll discover along the way," she said.

The art loops will include installations and activities while fostering community connection and enhancing walkability, the museum said. Different areas will have thematic overlays to guide the design elements and aesthetics of the various sections.

There are three planned routes for different experiences: one for families and kids, one for a short urban adventure, and a third that is "ideal for the wanderers, history buffs, book worms, and anyone who wants a major dose of art and a long walk," the museum's website says.

A literary art walk will be installed between the museum and library on 100 East, and a youth art section featuring children's artwork will cover 200 East, as it's a route to the elementary school.

The first phase of Art Loops: Downtown will be made up of small projects throughout the loops that create density, such as murals, stamped poetry and smaller-scale pieces. The first phase will be funded by the Hometown Grant, with future phases needing to secure funding from other sources, such as the city's parks, arts and recreation grant program.

Each quarter, T-Mobile awards 25 grants to small towns with populations of 50,000 or less. Since the program launched in April 2021, T-Mobile has given grants to 375 communities across the country.

"Through Hometown Grants, people in communities nationwide are kickstarting projects that make a real difference and help their towns thrive," the company said in a release.

The city applied for the Hometown Grant in December and found out just recently it was chosen as a recipient.

"It's a really competitive national grant, and so we feel really honored our project was chosen to receive the funding. The mission of the grant goes hand in hand with what we are trying to do in Springville: creating a vibrant community that is connected and really embracing this small town feel that Springville has and making it a great place to live and to visit," Larsen said.

The art loops will strengthen Springville's identity as "Art City," and transform the downtown area into a "vibrant, art-centered destination," Springville economic development specialist Carla Wiese said.

"This project will encourage cultural tourism, support local businesses and provide residents with new opportunities for engagement with the arts. It's an exciting step forward in realizing the potential of our downtown area and establishing a truly dynamic environment that celebrates art in all its forms," Wiese said.

On Tuesday, March 25, at 4:45 p.m., the city is hosting a kick-off party for the first phase of the art loops at the Civic Center Park Gazebo, 110 S. Main. City leaders, museum staff, Springville residents and visitors are all encouraged to come learn about and celebrate the project. At Tuesday's ceremony, T-Mobile representatives will be presenting the grant check to the city.

"I strongly believe that this project will have a lasting positive impact on Springville's cultural landscape and will help to further establish Springville as a thriving hub for the arts," Wiese added.

The city and museum are already in the process of installing some of the artworks that will become part of Art Loops: Downtown. Others will be implemented throughout the year before next February when the first phase officially opens

Larsen said the Art Loops bring together the best of museums and public art and she is excited for everyone to be able to experience it.

"Taking what's so magical about the museum and this history of art in Springville and spreading it all out, throughout the city and through downtown through this project, is gonna be really exciting," Larsen said.

Related topics