The Downtown Little Rock Partnership, in collaboration with the City of Little Rock, and SOMA 501, Inc. is calling on community members to share their thoughts on the design for a ground plane mural at the intersection of 13th and Main Street in the South Main (SOMA) neighborhood.  

Members of the DLRP Public Spaces Committee chose 3 finalists who were each paid $500 to produce concepts for the space, and now community members can weigh in on their favorite design, while also offering important thoughts about street safety in the area. The survey will remain open through May 5th, and community members can also sign up to help install the artwork during a community celebration in June.  

“Public art brings new energy to a space, and we’re excited to see new investment in our thriving neighborhood,” said Arlton Lowry, Chair of the DLRP Public Spaces Committee. “This asphalt mural is one more step, among many, the Downtown Partnership is taking to help make our downtown safer for pedestrians and cyclists alike.” 

This project is made possible by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative grant program. Little Rock is one of 25 cities in the U.S, Canada and Mexico selected from among more than 200 applicants for this round of projects and aims to: 

• Improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. 

• Beautify the historic SOMA streetscape and encourage visitors to spend more time in the area.  

• The anticipated output from this project is slower vehicular traffic, more pedestrians, more cyclists, and an overarching improvement in safety for everyone in the area. 

• Bring more art to this burgeoning neighborhood and be the first street surface installation at a full intersection in the city. 

• Promote collaboration and civic engagement in the community. 

More information about the Asphalt Art Initiative 

The Asphalt Art Initiative grant program is designed to fund visual art interventions on roadways, pedestrian spaces, and public infrastructure in small- and medium-sized U.S. cities (with populations of 30,000–500,000) with goals of improving street and pedestrian safety, revitalizing and beautifying underutilized public space, and promoting collaboration and civic engagement in local communities.