ARTivity On The Green

Positioned in a "no man’s land" section of Downtown Winston-Salem, ARTivity on the Green lies between the Art District and the Innovation Quarter. The park was originally conceived as a central place of gathering to connect the two worlds of Art and Innovation. In reality, the project has done so much more: it has reunited a community and energized a section of downtown that had been forgotten. The dynamic features of the park serve to inspire occupants both visually and physically during the day and night.

Art for Art’s Sake (AFAS) had a distinct vision: transform an eyesore parking into a space for the community to experience art. We questioned how we could take a small half acre, in a tight zero lot line urban area, and help it connect to its surroundings on a grand scale. ARTivity needed to feel larger than its physical footprint. By using the AFAS primary color, a single 8" wide ground line was conceived to visually connect the entire block. The line meanders around the city sidewalks and directs pedestrians to the park’s center. 6 park entrances enhance the lot’s physical orientation and natural access points.

Upon entry, the single line splits into three lines: two outside lines and one central line. The outside lines leave the concrete surface to form seating benches and raised steel thresholds. The benches serve for personal reflection and viewing, while the thresholds to identify entry into the outdoor semicircle galleries. The 6 pathways weave through a rolling structural landscape conceived from the nearby foothill mountain ranges. As the outside lines converge at the center, they thrust upwards to reveal 12 steel masts, varying in height from 35’, 40’ and 45’. The central line on all 6 pathways lead directly to the center point, and create the tallest single 50’ mast. Collectively, these 13 masts form an iconic structure called the "Tower Cloud," which emits water vapor on the hour and half hour. The structure is a nod to Winston-Salem’s industrial past, and the iconic profile of the historic RJR Building. Positioned at the south end of the site is the "Ribbon Shelter." Constructed of ¾" plate steel, 7 steel ribbons of varying height and width bend to create seating areas and artist easels. A 124’ long mural wall was constructed to act as the park’s billboard, and to allow the general public to display their talents.

The project was built with concrete with anti-slip quartz mixed red paint (pathways), decomposed granite (semicircle galleries), sod and native plantings (berms), 8" x 8" x ¼" tube steel (benches, thresholds & tower cloud), custom rolled ¾" plate steel (ribbon shelter), custom designed water jet manifold and pump with 418 high pressurized nozzles (water vapor feature at the tower cloud), RGB LED performance surface lighting linked to 2 DMX lighting control panels (ribbon shelter & tower cloud), and integrated stripe LED lights (benches, thresholds & mural wall).