LAA Office Designs 6th Street Arts Alley, a Public Art Space in Columbus

Columbus,IN— LAA Offi ce, a Columbus, Indiana-basedmulti-disciplinary design studio, has transformed 6th Street in downtownColumbus into a burgeoning arts district that provides a flexible space forrelaxation, social gathering, and events. Working with the Columbus AreaArts Council, LAA Office initiated a series of urban interventions includingpublic seating, a shade structure, and public artworks designed and/or curatedby the emerging studio. Called 6th Street ArtsAlley, theproject provides a strong visual identity for the city while also creatingan engaging space that community members can enjoy in a variety of ways. 6thStreetis home to a burgeoning arts and design scene withseveral community organizations, creative businesses, and studios concentratedwithin a one block radius. This urban activation project serves both to connectcreative organizations to one another, as well as reinvigorate undervaluedspaces between buildings in Columbus. In the most recent phase of the 6th Streetrevitalization, LAA Office introduced a swath of public space over fragmentedparts of the city, so that the boundary of the patchwork produces a new bondbetween otherwise disconnected elements. The firm’s work includes10,000 square feet of street improvements and the designof an extensive ground mural installed by LAA Office along with student andcommunity volunteers, as well as the curation of a new mural on the southfaçade of the historic Odd Fellows building by artist Nick Abstract. A customsuite of modular furniture designed by LAA Office, moveable planters by AnovaFurnishings, and an innovative shade and lighting canopy also accompany theproject, creating a holistic design that exists on three planes: ground,vertical, and overhead. “The idea of pulling apart three distinct planes(ground, vertical, and overhead) as canvases for artistic intervention isdeeply related to our understanding of 6th Street as an outdoor room. Theexisting urban condition already creates an intimate space in the city. Ourgoal was to simply make those boundaries more explicit and vibrant throughsite-specific artworks,” says LAA Office Co-founder Daniel Luis Martinez. ” SaysLAA Office Co-founderLulu Loquidis, “One central conceptthat has emerged in our recent work, is the notion that public art has anenormous potential to mend the frayed urban fabric of cities. We believe thatpublic art has the potential to generate urban design in and of itself bycreating spaces for people to gather or by directly changing the physicalcharacteristics of the city. We see ourselves as part of a generation ofartists and designers who are actively reclaiming alleyways, parking lots, andstreets as vital spaces that can contribute to the social life of thecity. ” Project Details: Ground Mural: TuffCoat Paint, Design by LAA Office, Installation by LAA Office +Student/Community Volunteers Benches: PowderCoated Aluminum, Design by LAA Office, Fabrication by Indian CustomFabrication, Inc. Planters and Waste Receptacle: Anova Furnishings Project Information: Name: 6thStreets Arts Alley Location: Columbus,Indiana Completed: 2021 Type: UrbanActivation Size: 10,000 sf Client: Columbus AreaArts Council Funding & Supporters: Columbus Indiana Visitors Center, City of Columbus, Indiana ArtsCommission Cultural District program, CREA & First Financial Bark, HeritageFund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County, IU Presidential Arts andHumanities Program, IU Center for Rural Engagement and ServeDesign Center, andby individual contributions from the community. Design: LAA Office Design Team: LuluLoquidis Martinez, PLA, ASLA (co-founder), Daniel Luis Martinez, NOMA(co-founder), Jess Novitski, Priscilla Rocha Odd Fellows Mural:Nick Abstract