Two Lexington organizations are being awarded grant money by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The 75 thousand dollar "Our Town" grant will be shared between the Blue Grass Community Foundation and the North Limestone Community Development Corporation.
Richard Young is director for the No-Li Community Development Corporation. Young says the funds will help pay for public art spaces. He says something as simple as free, public space can greatly enhance a neighborhood. "There's a huge need for people to be able to gather in a space at no cost to them. I mean even if you go into a coffee shop to sit and read a book, you usually buy a cup of coffee, so while that might not make a difference to some people, it does to others and so having a space that anyone can gather at no cost is incredibly important," said Young.
Young says organizers will seek community comment on public art programming. He also says he'd like to include area artists in the plans. "We're still trying to decide that. I think that there are so many great local artists, we would certainly like to have them as part of the project and I think there are a lot of amazing artists in our neighborhood that we would like to get involved," said Young.
Young cited the monthly 'night market' event off Bryan Avenue as an example of free public space that helps boost local businesses. ?
