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Currently the park is being developed, managed and programmed by a small group of volunteers, Stewards of Lipe Art Park (SLAP). The members of this group are active and have leadership positions in local arts, community development and governmental organizations and initiatives, and include professionals in design, planning and community development. It has taken a few years to forge a clear vision and a workable strategy, but the project now seems to be gelling, with the convergence of greater interest in the park and a real plan for its development.
SLAP has developed a three-phase plan for the physical development of the park. The park is at a point at which it needs to be developed into more than just a quantity of usable space with several distinct elements floating in it. It needs to become a coherent whole, and an engaging, appealing place, in order to more effectively invite the community to the art, recreation and programming that the park will present. To do this, the park development plan calls for a three-phase scheme:
- phase 1: defining the park as a place with key projects/features that catalyze further activity and development;
- phase 2: focusing on accommodating visitors as well as exhibitions and other programs more fully in the park;
- phase 3: completing the most technically and financially ambitious projects.
Phase 1 will begin with the installation of the Art Shark by Brendan Rose (see upcoming installation section) which will begin to give special character and definition to the site. We are seeking funding for the rest of Phase One, Including:
- planting 3 small groves of trees to define, beautify and anchor an area of ecological restoration
- commissioning community artists to create art for gardens and for a buffer zone along the street
- creating new signage for the park over all and for particular feature areas, such as gardens
- physically expanding and recruiting community interest in the existing food-for-donation garden
- creating a “Habitat Garden” as an ecological restoration & recreation area and educational project
- creating a basic performance platform/stage to accommodate performances and presentations
The Habitat Garden will be the spatial and programmatic anchor for Phase One. It would not only transform and enrich the look of the park at a key location, but also create an ecological restoration project involving the local community and local institutions such as SUNY ESF and Syracuse Grows. This project would have educational as well as environmental and recreational outcomes, resulting in a habitat restoration garden in which nature, art and interpretive signage engage and educate the public. This would be the first of its kind in Central New York.
Accomplishing Phase One would allow us to lay the foundation for all of the key aspects and elements of the park at a basic or initial level of development, encouraging not only community use of the park but also a sense of a coherent and appealing whole – an inviting, exciting place. We are seeking ‘foundational funding’ to establish this new place.
