100 Buddhist Prayer Flags

Idea:

100 Buddhist prayer flags with Kerouac quotes printed on them flying around the park.

Benefit:

Location:

Kerouac, OldIdea.

3D Crosswalks

Idea:

Work with the City to find a place that it is legal and welcome to paint one or more 3-D Crosswalks. These 3-D Crosswalks could be reflective of neighborhoods and different flags throughout our city, since we are a colorful and diverse city.

Benefit:

Keep our pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders, and children safer, especially since we have a lot of schools and big, major intersections between them. Raise awareness and the profile of our diverse neighborhoods.

Location:

Don't Know, OldIdea.

A Blindfold Dinner

Idea:

Breaking barriers. A dinner served in the dark or with blindfolds where the participants can’t see each other. Conservations without prejudice, then the lights come on, and desert and you can see who you were talking to. Lowell Association for the Blind has a similar annual dinner, this could expand on their good work.

Benefit:

Break barriers of preconceived notions of differences. We will learn we are more alike than different.

Location:

Don't Know, OldIdea.

A “Tranquil” Festival/Calm Fest

Idea:

A festival where everything can be calm and soothing for people. People can paint, doodle, write their stress away. Have things that people can use or make so they can be happy and forget about the stress for a while. Also maybe clean the area if some people want to, charity work project or donations. [Read more…]

Benefit:

Mental health awareness. Incorporate charity work project, for example, donations of clothes or supplies.

Location:

Don't Know, OldIdea.

Acre Play way

Idea:

Convert one of the canal walkways (in the Acre) to a family-friendly Play Way with sensory pathways, seating, play-friendly/interactive sculptures and art installations, and maybe a garden.

Benefit:

Beautification of an under-utilized area that improves a space and makes it more welcoming and engaging to families, as well as a community space for events.

Location:

Acre, OldIdea.

Adopt and Beautify a Traffic Island or Sponsor a Sidewalk Planter or Window Box

Idea:

Get local businesses and organizations to adopt a traffic island or sponsor a sidewalk planter. It could be framed as a citywide contest with a prize. See the link to Peabody Pride in Bloom promotion. Businesses could have a small sign with their name on the island or planter, saying that it was sponsored by [Read more…]

Benefit:

The idea would help promote more visitors to the city by making the area more inviting and colorful. It would be very cheering to the local residents, because who doesn't like to see flowers bloom in the Spring and Summer. And it would be an overall improvement to the community [Read more…]

Location:

Citywide, OldIdea.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/creative/2013/04/heres-an-art-demo-thats-up-your-alley.html

Alley of Art

Idea:

The long alley between Merrimack street and Middle street could be separated into sections and local artists would use each section for his/her own art. We could string Christmas Lights, lanterns, or other lamps over the alley. This could be a temporary exhibit, with an opportunity to be permanent if there is community buy-in.

Benefit:

It would encourage people to walk the alley and it would keep the graffiti down.

Location:

Downtown / JAM, OldIdea.

anti-littering posters

Idea:

something with a character and slogan like the Woodsy the Owl “Give a Hoot Don’t Pollute” campaign

Benefit:

Cleaner community, community pride

Location:

Downtown / JAM, OldIdea.

Arch

Idea:

Fun shaped garden arch. Attached are photos of a completed piece, an arch made of plywood. It can be installed anywhere outside on a lawn or turf using garden stakes (hidden support). Duration can be 4 seasons, and up to 2 years. The panels are attached to each other using construction screws. It’s largely a silhouette, [Read more…]

Benefit:

Bright spot for an urban setting. Arches denote passage to another place.

Location:

Belvidere, Downtown / JAM, OldIdea.

Architecture of Worship

Idea:

There are some incredibly beautiful houses of worship in Lowell, as a pilot project why not document the magnificient houses of worship in the Acre and the Highlands through photographs and do a brochure and perhaps a tour?

Benefit:

There are some incredibly beautiful houses of worship in Lowell, but few outside of individual congregations know what is hiding behind the walls of those institutions. Better understanding grows out of familiarity . . .

Location:

Acre, OldIdea.