ArtPlace Grant, Twitter, Biking on the Trail

Swarm Street awarded ArtPlace Grant

An excerpt from the press release:

In an innovative development that is affecting Indianapolis as well as some two dozen other cities and towns across the nation, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick has received a grant of $250,000 from an unprecedented new private-public collaboration, ArtPlace (www.artplaceamerica.org).

The grant will help support the trail’s largest public art installation – Swarm Street, an interactive light environment designed by Vito Acconci and Acconci Studio of New York (pronounced “Uh-KON-chee”). Currently being constructed inside the Virginia Avenue parking garage south of Maryland, Swarm Street is being designed to resemble fireflies as more than 1,000 LED-lights are embedded on the pavement with another 1,000 installed in an open steel-framework above. Additionally, movement from people on the trail will activate light sensors that “swarm” around the user as they move throughout the space.   

Swarm Street also holds a special distinction as the only public art project being honored with [an ArtPlace] grant.

Announced for the first time on September 15, ArtPlace is an initiative of 11 of America’s top foundations working in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts and seven federal agencies. Its aim is to drive revitalization across the country by putting the arts at the center of economic development. ArtPlace has now announced its first round of grants, investing $11.5 million in 34 locally initiated projects in cities from Honolulu to Miami. Each project supported by ArtPlace has been selected for developing a new model of helping towns and cities thrive by strategically integrating artists and arts organizations into key local efforts in transportation, housing, community development, job creation and more.

See the complete press release on our website.

We’re on Twitter!! Follow us @INCulturalTrail.

Progress on Swarm Street

The first portion of this artwork is nearly complete! Preparations for the installation of the structure that houses the overhead lights of Swarm Street are underway. If you drive on Virginia under the CSX bridge, you may see the purple lights on! We're very excited about the ArtPlace grant and the progress that is being made even as you read this!

Biking on the Trail

Enough of the Trail is complete that you can ride a loop! Bikes can be rented at BGI Bike Shop in Indy Bike Hub and at White River State Park.

Ride your bike to work downtown but don’t have a safe place to park it? The Indy Bike Hub YMCA, located at 222 E Market Street in the east wing of the City Market, has indoor parking space for 148 bikes and locker rooms designed for commuters. Learn more here!

Construction Update:

Central Corridor

--Alabama to Delaware: Trail paver installation is about complete.  We are waiting on trench drain grates to continue.
--Delaware to Pennsylvania:  Concrete paver base should be complete this week.  Driveway construction at the parking garage is being done in portions to keep the garage operating. Trail paver installation should start next week.
--Pennsylvania to Meridian:  Trench drain installation is complete.  Curb installation should finish this week.  Expect subgrade preparation and underground electrical work to start next week and be followed by concrete paver base and Trail paver installation.  There have been periodic sidewalk closures at Scioto Street, the mid-block alley, to allow alley construction.  The sidewalk portion of the alley was installed this week and should remain open.  There has been a delay on the northeast corner of Meridian and Washington at the Jimmy Johns: we are working out the details regarding a building vault.
--Illinois to Meridian: The eastern plaza is waiting the completion of the Jimmy John corner.  We will be starting restoration of the sidewalk snowmelt system in front of 2 North Meridian.  The sidewalk along Meridian will be closed from the northwest corner of Meridian and Washington north to the entrance of 2 North Meridian during restoration; east-west pedestrian traffic on Washington will be maintained.
--Illinois to Capitol: Utility work is all done.  Underground drainage facilities should be complete this week.  Curb installation will begin next week, with trench drain installation, subgrade preparation, and underground electrical work complete by the end of October.

Southeast Corridor

--Virginia from Penn to Delaware: Infill of the vaults under the sidewalk at the 500 Festival Building should be finished this week.  Installation of concrete curb has started and should continue.  It will be followed by subgrade preparation.
--Virginia under the garage and CSX:  Pavers are being placed for the "Swarm Street" project by Acconci Studio.  Installation of overhead steel structure components will begin next week
--Virginia from CSX to New Jersey:  Pavers have been placed between CSX and Louisiana.  Concrete curb and concrete paver for the plaza on the northwest corner of Virginia and Louisiana should finish next week and be followed by paver placement.
--South Street:  Most of the pavers have been installed.  Concrete curb and paver base has been placed on the southeast corner of New Jersey and South, and pavers should be installed next week. 
--Virginia from East to the Interstate: This area will be built in 2012.  It has become clear from the construction delays north and south of this area that we could not finish this area before the end on the year.  The impacts of having the construction site open and traffic restricted over the winter helped drive the decision to delay the start of construction to Spring 2012.
--Virginia from the Interstate to Prospect: Curb, subbase, and concrete paver base placement are all happening at various places in this area.  Concrete paver base placement will start between Prospect and Woodlawn this week; look for wooden bridges across the fresh concrete into the building entrances.  Asphalt will start appearing on the concrete paver base between Buchanan and Leonard in preparation for paver installation.  Buchanan Street is closed for reconstruction of the intersection with Virginia.

West Corridor

--Indiana Ave. to New York St.: Pavers and lighting have been installed everywhere expect for the half block south of Michigan.  We found underground utility conflicts that required a redesign of this portion of the Trail.  We are back to work in the area.  Expect to see grading, followed by stone subbase, concrete paver base, and paver installation.
--Military Park: This area has pavers and lighting installed.  Sodding should be complete this week.
--White River State Park: Work is ongoing between the Canal and the State Museum loading docks.  We are installing trench drains, curbs, paver base and pavers.  This work should be finished in October.  Work along Washington Street has started.  Expect to see subgrade preparation, stone subbase, concrete paver base, and paver placement this month.  The driveway to the museums will be constructed in portion to maintain access to the museums.