$8,000 goal to receive a 2:1 matching grant through DHCD’s Better Places program
BRATTLEBORO – Brattleboro residents will soon be able to help transform an old retaining wall on High Street in downtown Brattleboro into a colorful public mural, thanks to a recently launched crowdfunding campaign. The campaign is sponsored by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development’s Better Places program and is led by Epsilon Spires.
“Humanizing the built environment through community murals and creative placemaking provides a sense of civic pride and community identity,” said Department of Housing and Community Development Commissioner Josh Hanford. “The High Street Mural will bring a pop of color and vibrancy to the streets of Brattleboro.”
If the campaign reaches its $8,000 goal by August 26th, 2022 the “High Street Mural” will receive a matching grant of $16,000 from DHCD’s Better Places program. In addition, this project is paid for with the assistance of the Small Grants for Smart Growth Fund of the Vermont Natural Resources Council.
Click here for project details and to donate. The funds raised will support a reimagining of the dilapidated High Street wall through a community crowdsourcing process designed to gather ideas from Brattleboro residents, and the support of professional muralists who will design, paint, and properly seal the mural. Epsilon Spires will host a community celebration to unveil the mural in October 2022.
“With this project, Epsilon Spires wants to demonstrate the power of creative placemaking,” said Jamie Mohr, Executive Director. “That means collaborating directly with the Brattleboro community to design a mural that evokes a sense of community pride and co-ownership of our public spaces.”
Residents, businesses, and neighbors ready to support vibrant public places, community gathering areas, and local opportunities are encouraged to get involved and support these projects. Learn more and donate here.
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About Better Places
Better Places is a community matching grant program empowering Vermonters to create inclusive and vibrant public places serving Vermont’s designated downtowns, village centers, new town centers, or neighborhood development areas. The program is led by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development in partnership with the Vermont Department of Health, the Vermont Community Foundation, and Patronicity, our crowdfunding experts. The program supports community-led projects that create, revitalize, or activate community gathering areas that bring people together to build welcoming and thriving places across Vermont.