Planners look for opportunities to enhance proposed cultural district in Butler
Groups explored the streets of Butler Thursday evening to examine the city’s features and eccentricities with an eye for the possibilities.
The walkers were on the lookout for new opportunities downtown to create the Butler Arts and Cultural District, a project the Rotary Club of Butler PM is undertaking to enhance the city.
Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche, who is project chairwoman for the cultural district and secretary of the Rotary Club of Butler PM, told attendees of Thursday’s “Dream Walk” to watch for subtle ways the city could make positive aesthetic changes.
“We can go out and walk and dream a little bit and look for different places where things might be,” Osche said. “Like benches, signage, art, actual sculpture, places for performances, places for demonstrations — looking at the whole area differently.”
The Rotary club started formulating the Arts and Cultural District in December, when its leaders proposed a geographic block of North Washington, West Jefferson, North McKean, Charles and North Main streets to be the site of potential exhibits and events for the arts community.
People who attended the walk teamed up in groups of about six people each to walk portions of the proposed district and to brainstorm their wants for the area. A survey included ideas such as murals, sculptures, nature in art, performance spaces, markets and film or literature spaces.
People in attendance represented organizations including Slippery Rock University, Butler County Community College, Butler Area Public Library, Associated Artists of Butler County, Butler Area School District, Butler Little Theatre, Butler YMCA, Butler Downtown, and a number of local residents and artists.
Osche said connecting these community organizations was part of the mission Thursday.
“We want to make sure that we have an opportunity to meet each other and understand who is here,” Osche said. “Part of the goal really is to try to foster ways that we can work together to promote our current arts organizations and organize things around those.”
One group walked from West Locust Street around North Washington Street and back around West Brady Street. They talked about the potential for art pieces around some of the city’s less-traversed streets.
“I think some of the idea is to focus on the art and the beautification of Butler,” said Ann Stockert, of the Associated Artists of Butler County.
Lori Hinderliter, executive director of the Butler library, saw some opportunity to spruce up parking meters.
“I think it would be cool to do something with the parking meters,” Hinderliter said. “Maybe paint them all different colors, or something simple.”
The groups were set to reconvene at Natili North to share their ideas and photos with one another to further provide for the Arts and Cultural District.
Osche said the ideas generated during the dream walk could be building blocks for the district.
“Tonight, I think that’s the opportunity, to get you to start to think as you walk and look, ‘Wow, what could we really do here,’” Osche said. “Those are the ideas we are hoping to generate, so we can have a plan for how to move forward.”
