What is Paint the Pavement?
Paint the Pavement (PtP) is a program that promotes community building and “placemaking” through creating neighborhood art. Our primary focus is in St. Paul, Minnesota, where we support groups of neighbors to organize to create their own public mural on low-traffic residential streets. Neighbors come together, gather support, create a design, petition for approval by the City of St. Paul, and hold a “paint day” to create and celebrate their own community square.
Through the process of creating the community mural, social connections and relationships between neighbors increase and improve, strengthening the ability of the community to respond to issues and opportunities and to take care of one another. The benefits of placemaking by street painting are multiple: development of relationships and social networks; creation of a community gathering place; calmed traffic; crime prevention; and, a local neighborhood identity.
History
In 2004, Andrea Erickson of St. Paul, Minnesota, read an article in YES! Magazine about neighbors in Portland, Oregon who painted their streets to create public square-type spaces on their own blocks. Over time, a non-profit called City Repair was founded in Portland to help neighbors paint their streets. Andrea knew this was something she wanted for her very own neighborhood in St. Paul.
In 2006 Andrea was in a program for emerging neighborhood leaders called Leadership in Support of Neighborhood (LISN), a collaboration of the Hamline Midway Coalition (a neighborhood organization) and Hamline University. Through the support of LISN, she and one other emerging leader, Julie GebbenGreen, visited Portland's City Repair to learn more about community building through public art. Andrea and Julie talked to staff, visited intersection sites, and knocked on neighbors’ doors.
Upon their return, Andrea formed “Paint the Pavement,” borrowing elements from Portland’s City Repair. The group approached the City of St. Paul, which was willing to initiate a pilot program modeled after Portland’s to allow neighbors to organize and petition to paint their low-traffic streets. Over the summer of 2006, Julie GebbenGreen and another resident, Molly Cave, gathered their neighbors, created designs, gathered signatures, submitted petitions, all in preparation to paint two intersections. In the fall, over 250 neighbors and some folks from farther afield painted two intersections -- and Paint the Pavement became a reality! Since then, over 8 more sites have been painted in St. Paul, and several farther afield in places like Rochester, MN and Brooklyn, NY.
In the winter of 2006, the Hamline Midway Coalition decided to invest staff time into the ongoing work of PtP. Today, a HMC organizer and a group of committed volunteers, all of whom have participated in organizing a PtP, continue to support PtP.
In the News - Archive
> Monitor story/photos [Pg. 1 | Pg. 2], Aug. 2007
> Fox 9 TV News coverage of Van Buren turtles, July 21, 2007
> Hamline University Oracle story/photo of Pascal & Van Buren, Oct. 17, 2006
> Pioneer Press story/photo of Pascal & Van Buren, Oct. 6, 2006
> Midway Como Monitor story/photos [Pg. 1 | Pg. 2], Sept. 2006
Get Involved!
PtP assists groups who hope to create a street painting by providing advice, sharing resources, and connecting people.
If you are interested in the “big picture” and helping promote PtP and placemaking of all kinds, join the PtP Core Team (all volunteers) -- we would love to have your ideas and help! People with all sorts of skills and interests are welcome.
Find contact info at the bottom of this page.
See it!
View Paint the Pavement in a larger map
PtP projects in St. Paul, MN. PLEASE NOTE: design and paint requirements have changed since many of these projects were painted, so please read current documents to determine guidelines.
More info
If you have more questions, check out Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), visit our How To section, or contact us. Address, phone, and email are below.