In 2018, gallupARTS, in partnership with the City of Gallup, received a $150,000 “Our Town” grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Matched by $150,000 from local government, institutions and organizations, this $300,000 total grant funded a creative placemaking project in downtown Gallup. It supported a community-based, collaborative design process to re-imagine Coal Avenue as a signature “event street” and creative commercial hub.

STEP 1: The community came together to brainstorm a new vision for Coal Avenue by submitting words to a “Wordle” which was transformed into a street art mural by artist Bear Mescale, by “chalking the walk” and filling Coal Avenue with design ideas, by creating temporary “parklets” showcasing different potential uses for the future Commons, and by prototyping design ideas in a hands-on workshop.

STEP 2: The community’s ideas were incorporated alongside those of property owners, business owners, artists and downtown residents who met in focus groups. Collective feedback was synthesized into three different design concepts, which the community voted on. The result? Almost unanimous support for the “plaza”-style street design.

STEP 3: On September 25, 2018, the Gallup City Council voted to move forward with the community’s preferred design for the future Coal Avenue Commons: a plaza-style street, featuring curbless sidewalks, patterned pavers, a gateway feature, combined planters and benches for added landscaping and interconnectivity with the downtown “walkway.” 

Get more information on the Our Town grant project scope and sequence here.

In 2022, gallupARTS was contracted by the City of Gallup to help encourage foot traffic and visitation downtown while Coal Avenue was closed for construction. gallupARTS designed and produced two different creative placemaking construction mitigation projects: 

1. Art on the Fence – six local artists were commissioned to create wall mural-sized fence weavings along chainlink construction fencing.

See images of the Art on the Fence project here.

2. Holiday Windows – Delicate Brown created a series of window-painted illustrations in business storefronts along Coal Avenue between 1st and 3rd Streets telling the tale of Frosty the Snowman, Gallup-style. Community members were invited to enjoy the story by taking a stroll and to have some family fun scavenger hunting for images hidden within the paintings. 

Coal Avenue Commons construction was completed in early 2023, with a ribbon cutting celebration to open the event street  taking place on April 8, 2023.