This is the final weekend of the ‘Designing the Myrtle Avenue Pedestrian Plaza Mini-Exhibition and Pop-up Workshop’. Please stop by 352 Myrtle this Saturday, between 12 – 5pm to view the submissions to the Call for Ideas and best practices complied by the Partnership staff, and to participate in the creation of a vibrant neighborhood public space on Myrtle.

Last weekend, during reception and gallery hours, many community members came out to review and discuss plaza designs collected through our Call for Ideas and our public space best practices. Formatted so that you can respond directly to the proposed plaza designs or use a map of the future plaza site to voice your feedback, the workshop allows you to share your recommendations for the programming and activities, amenities, greening, and aesthetics of the space and see what your neighbors are suggesting.

After the workshop, the Partnership will be sitting down to look at common requests and recommendations, compiling a list of feedback themes and frequently mentioned programs, amenities, etc. Together with the Call for Ideas submissions and best practices, the results of the workshop will be used in our first meetings with the NYC DOT selected design team, taking place in the upcoming months.

The Call for Ideas, released in August of 2009, was intended to gather plaza concepts from professional and amateur designers that would serve as a conversation starter and inform the design process. Though the official call was closed in November of 2009, the Partnership is accepting design proposals on an ongoing basis to be shared for community review online and added to our ‘Design Book’, if you are interested in contributing, you can find more information here.

In case you missed the reception, you can view pictures of the event (and see workshop attendees in action) online; the eight designs on display can be seen on our Flickr site as well. We encourage everyone to stop by 352 Myrtle this Saturday, between 12-5pm and if you can’t make it, please leave your comments on our Flickr, the project’s facebook page or email them to sarah@myrtleavenue.org.

Maybe you noticed a new addition to the tree pit on Myrtle between Waverly and Clinton, just between Karen’s Body Beautiful and Owa’s African Market – a stylized, unique tree guard! This prototype is the result of a street furniture design process that began in 2007 with the Pratt Design Incubator. We’re in the ‘hard prototype’ stage with this piece, which means what you see here is very close to the final design, but we’re still making small tweaks here and there.

We’re hoping to install up to 25 new tree guards along Myrtle this year, with more to come in future years. Initially, we’ll prioritize younger trees, given that they are especially fragile during their first few years and face perils like errant motor vehicles and heavy bike chains.

This is not your ordinary, average cookie-cutter tree guard! Form and function marry here with an opportunity for artists and aspiring graphic designers to submit ideas for panel designs. Check out the panels in this photo – we’ll have the opportunity to laser cut unique patterns into panels, and no two tree guards will be exactly alike! The small sign post on the front of the tree guard will credit the person who submitted the idea, as well as offer information on the tree species in that particular pit. Stay tuned for more information on this, and an open call for ideas later in the spring!

Clear your calendars! You are invited to the “Designing the Myrtle Pedestrian Plaza – Pop Up Exhibition and Workshop” from February 5th – 13th.

We are happy to announce that a property owner of 352 Myrtle has given us access to their vacant commercial storefront where we will be hosting a brief pop-up exhibition and workshop displaying submissions to the Designing the Myrtle Avenue Pedestrian Plaza Call for Ideas, along with best practices collected by our staff.

In response to our Call for Ideas , we received many submissions from local and international designers. The entries were diverse and creative, featuring permanent canopy structures, amphitheaters, climbing walls, outdoor markets and more.

Along with the renderings and images, we will have maps and plaza plans where attendees can contribute their ideas for the design, programming and management of the space. Come checkout the submissions, give your feedback and chat with MARP staff about a new, vibrant and inclusive public space for Myrtle Avenue.

Location: 352 Myrtle between Carlton and Adelphi
Friday, February 5th, 5pm – 8pm: Opening Reception*. Light refreshments will be served.
Saturday, February 6th and 13th, 12pm – 5pm: Open gallery hours.
Monday-Friday, February 7th-12th, 10am-5pm: Group tours and workshops available by appointment*.

Work by the following designers will be on display: Aaron Follet, Christopher Peli, Rodriguez Studio, Edit Leventon, Jaime Roberts Studio, Jonathan Joseph, Gregór Nemitz-Ziadie, Lee Norsworthy, Juliana Schafer and Raza Ali Dada.


*Please RSVP to Sarah@myrtleavenue.org OR at the facebook event page!

By now we hope you've heard about the upcoming pedestrian plaza on Myrtle between Emerson and Grand. Our plaza, along with five other plazas that will be created by the PlaNYC-initiated NYC Plaza Program, is eligible for funding through the city's Percent for Art program for commissioning permanent works of public art. Each plaza has $100,000 allocated for permanent public art to be incorporated into the public space. The Department of Cultural Affairs has released a Request for Qualifications, which is open to all artists and collaborative artist teams, based locally, nationally, and internationally. Make sure you register by February 22nd if you're interested!

The deadline for the Designing the Myrtle Avenue Pedestrian Plaza Call for Ideas is just around the corner. It’s not too late to break out the sketch book and jot down some ideas! So far, we’ve received several inquiries and even a couple of early bird proposals. If you are just getting started on your submission or are putting the finishing touches on your designs, check out the frequently asked questions from the last weeks and a few links that may be helpful in completing your project.

Questions:
1. Can people outside of the neighborhood / NYC area / USA participate in the Call for Ideas? Yes. We welcome Fort Greene/Clinton Hill locals and internationals in the imagining and improvement of public spaces in our community. We are requesting original designs and best practices, so if you are an international participant, feel free to share examples of great public spaces from your community as well as any design work.
2. What is the entry fee? Entry is free, just email or drop-off documents by November 16th and you’re in!
3. What is the award? Designing the Myrtle Avenue Pedestrian Plaza is structured as a call for ideas, not a competition. Though there is not a formal award, the contributed designs will be reviewed by the Partnership’s staff of professional planners, the Plaza Design Advisory Committee and will be put on display online and locally to gather feedback from the community.
4. What are the geographic boundaries for intervention? The plaza will be situated on the service road adjacent to Myrtle Avenue (south side), between Grand and Emerson. Designs should address, at a minimum, this area. Designers, however, may incorporate streetscapes and intersections immediately connected to the plaza site or introduce design elements that can be installed or incorporated elsewhere on the avenue.

Resources:
1. Maps and Street views - for the number of contributors designing remotely, we encourage taking a moment to explore the larger neighborhood context via Google Maps .
2. Images - for updated images of the Myrtle Avenue Pedestrian Plaza site and images of pedestrians enjoying the future plaza space this September, check our Flickr .
3. Facebook - a Facebook group was created where participants and community members can share relevant links, best practices, site images and ideas. As the call for ideas and plaza design progresses, we will share updates via Facebook. You can join the Designing the Myrtle Avenue Pedestrian Plaza Group here and/or become our fan here .

As always, if you have any questions about the neighborhood, the structure of the Call for Ideas or would like to request the CAD file of the Street Geometry, you can email sarah@myrtleavenue.org or call 718-230-1689.

Good news! You've still got time to pull out the sketch pad, the camera, the laptop, and whatever other tools you like, to submit initial design ideas for the planned Myrtle Avenue pedestrian plaza between Grand and Emerson. Now that the location and geometry of the plaza are more or less set, it is time to focus on the actual features, amenities and landscaping that the community would like to see there.

In the coming months, NYC DOT will assign a professional design team that will work us and the community during an approximately year-long design phase. In the meantime, we are issuing a Call For Ideas (PDF document, about 1.5 MB) to ensure that we have as many creative concepts and best practices at our disposal during the very first meetings with the design team, allowing us to have a better sense of the community's priorities for the plaza. Submissions are due by November 16th, with the full details and instructions explained in the Call for Ideas PDF document. Photos can also be uploaded and shared via our Plaza Design Group if you become a fan on Facebook.

We want to be sure that this new plaza results in a truly well-designed and well-loved public space for the neighborhood. We are asking professional designers and amateurs alike to contribute original design concepts for the Myrtle Plaza, or to submit compelling photos of features from existing public spaces that you particularly like. The Call for Ideas aims to involve the community in the creation of a great public space on Myrtle Avenue, generating design and programming concepts that are progressive and sustainable and that support a variety of user groups and activities while capturing the energy, diversity and dynamic character of our neighborhood.

All entries will be compiled and reviewed by urban planners on the Partnership staff, as well as by the Myrtle Avenue Plaza Advisory Committee, made up of local stakeholders. A selection of the submissions will be posted on our website.

The Myrtle Avenue Pedestrian Plaza is the result of a multi-year community planning process that began in the fall of 2005, where improving the avenue's public spaces became a major emphasis as individuals expressed their desire to have public spaces to sit, eat, relax, people-watch, and to otherwise create a better sense of place. This year, the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership was awarded participation in the first round of the NYC Plaza Program for our proposal for a plaza between Grand Avenue and Emerson Place on two blocks of the existing service road.

The design and development of the Plaza will be made possible by funds committed by NYC DOT, City Council Member Leticia James, Borough President Marty Markowitz, the US Department of Transportation's CMAQ program, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership BID.

If you have any questions regarding the Call for Ideas, or would like CAD files of the street geometry, please contact sarah@myrtleavenue.org

Tomorrow is Park(ing)Day and this year, Myrtle will be celebrating with not one, but TWO temporary public spaces for the Avenue. In case you aren't familiar, Park(ing) Day NYC is an international event that reclaims and reimagines parking spots as mini-parks, engaging public spaces and, as Transporation Alternatives describes, “breaths of relief from the auto-clogged reality of New York City” that “spark dialogue about our valuable public space and how we choose to use it.” This will be the third year that the Partnership will participate - you can check out pictures from previous years above and find more on our Flickr. Come out, see the action, enjoy the activities and added green space in the neighborhood and participate in an international car detox and public space appreciation day! Myrtle Parks:

Littlejohn Park –
Isaac Littlejohn Eddy , NY Times Local blog cartoon-journalist, will join forces with the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership and move his Fort Greene studio onto the street. At LITTLEJOHN PARK Isaac will be interviewing, illustrating, and animating passersby all day to showcase what it means to be a citizen journalist and a non-fiction cartoonist.
There will be an area with paper and markers at LITTLEJOHN PARK for people to sit, people-watch, and try out a little non-fiction cartooning themselves and a gallery of the work produced throughout the day. Stop by to learn more about non-ficiton cartooning, check out the gallery (updated throughout the day), imagine city life with more open space and relax outside Kiini Ibura and Tres Elegante!
Where: Between Clermont and Vanderbilt
When: 9:00 – 4:30

Gnarly Vines Park-
Participating for their first year, Gnarly Vines, featuring Kosher Wine & Bike Repairs:an Unorthodox Pairing for Park(ing) Day. Bring your bike and taste some kosher wine! Bike mechanics from Lit Fuse Cyclery (our new neighbors on Willoughby & Walworth) will be hanging out in our Park(ing) spot from 1-4pm to provide a free diagnosis, quick adjustments, tune your wheels and even fix your flat (while supplies last)!
Where: 350 MYRTLE AVE between Carlton & Adelphi
When: 1 - 4

Call for Ideas EXTENDED!
There is still time to complete your design or compile examples of best practices for the Myrtle Avenue Pedestrian Plaza. After receiving requests to extend the deadline for the Myrtle Avenue Pedestrian Plaza, we have decided to push it back to September 23rd. You can review the originalblog post, the Call For Ideas and the Facebook group for more information.

The Brooklyn Botanical Garden's Greenbridge program announced the winners for the Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest and guess who got an award?!

If you guessed Myrtle Avenue, you're right. This year Myrtle Avenue between Waverly & Clinton tied for 2nd Place in the BEST STREET TREE BED Category! Pictured above is the exemplary tree bed outside of Karen's Body Beautiful (on the awarded block). Congratulations Myrtle and thanks to all of the merchants and residents who provide care for our tree beds! You can check-out the other winners here.

And, speaking of awards, we would like to give our own 'MABP Signage Award' to Root, Stock and Quade. They made this cute sign for the tree outside of their store to discourage animal waste (in case you didn't know, not only is letting your pet use the restroom in the tree beds unhygienic, it kills trees!). Congrats to Root, Stock and Quade!

For the rest of you, there are plenty of our unofficial MARP awards to go around.

With the overwhelmingly positive response to the four Tree Hugger Project sculptures that took up residence on the avenue for the past 11 months (and who have now moved on to Pratt’s Sculpture Garden in case you want to pay them a visit), we are anxious to bring more creative energy to the streets of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

The RFP for Temporary Public Sculpture (PDF document) seeks existing and/or proposed artworks for temporary installation (up to 11 months) at various outdoor locations along Myrtle Avenue. A full list of sites is below, while a map of the avenue and each site’s location is within the RFP document. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis and will be reviewed quarterly.

Artists or teams of artists alike are invited to apply to have pieces installed at any or all of the proposed locations. All interested artists are STRONGLY encouraged to visit Myrtle Avenue to view all the sites in person before applying. Each site has its own character and context therefore a visit is important to truly understand and communicate the impact an artwork will have on the space.

The proposed public sculpture sites are located at:
1. Ingersoll Houses: Myrtle near Prince (adjacent to the Community Center)
2. Ingersoll Houses: Myrtle and Navy Street (west side of Navy)
3. Ingersoll Houses: Myrtle and Navy Street (east side of Navy)
4. Ingersoll Houses: Myrtle and St. Edwards
5. Whitman Houses: Myrtle near North Portland
6. Whitman Houses: Myrtle between North Portland and Carlton
7. Whitman Houses: Myrtle near Washington Park (adjacent to commercial building)
8. Northwest corner of Fort Greene Park at the intersection of Myrtle and St. Edwards
9. Northeast corner of Fort Greene Park at the intersection of Myrtle and Washington Park
10. Green Streets Triangle at the intersection of Carlton and Myrtle
11. Wide sidewalks at Clinton and Myrtle
12. Wide sidewalks at Hall and Myrtle

The basic qualities we are looking for in proposed artwork are ARTISTIC MERIT, SITE SUITABILITY, DESIGN AESTHETIC, DURABILITY, and LOCAL. Basically, we’re looking for work showing creative and technical talent that fit the proposed site while maintaining a strong visual impact. The artwork will be installed outside so it must be able to endure any and all weather, whether it be surprise 80 degree weather in April, snow storms in January or thunderstorms in March! And lastly, preference will be given to local Brooklyn-based artists.

For more information contact Meredith Phillips Almeida at (718) 230-2689 or meredith@myrtleavenue.org.



The Myrtle Avenue Public Art Program is an effort to bring public sculpture, art installations, and creative street furniture elements to the public spaces and sidewalks of the 20-block retail district, increasing access to art for the entire community. The program is supported by funding from Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation and the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership BID, with sculpture siting assistance provided by NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, NYC Department of Transportation, and NYC Housing Authority.