After city regulations halted the Art Crosswalks project in conjunction with Downtown Memphis Commission, local artists at MCA with volunteer community members executed their designs in partnership with Overton Park.

This project crosses the boundaries between artistic interventions, broadly defined as public art that encourages moments of pause, contemplation, even participation and play and civic-minded improvements or tactical urbanism, broadly defined as functional urban developments with intent to improve communities.

The art crosswalks, not only add moments of pause but also improve the community’s safety by supporting pedestrians and foot traffic and discouraging drivers from speeding around intersections and blind corners in the park.

Two locations were facilitated, one at the corner of Veterans Plaza Drive and one at the intersection of the Zoo entrance and Brooks Museum. Local artists included Ashley Segarra and Dezmond Gipson. Photography by Natalie Schuh.