There are no recent bookmarks.

Great Art for Greater Bond

classified-featured-great-art-for-greater-bond-speeds-grocery-mural-1647039443

Through a South Arts grants and other sources of funding, the Greater Bond Neighborhood, the City of Tallahassee, and the Council on Culture & Arts (COCA) are partnering to initiate public art projects in the Bond neighborhood. 

Greater Art for Greater Bond is a multifaceted public art experience that honors the history and highlights the assets of one of Tallahassee’s oldest African American neighborhoods. The project includes the creation of a mural on the historical “Speed’s Grocery Store” in the neighborhood, an “art garden” in Linear Park, utility post banners featuring the intergenerational art of residents, and Asphalt Art murals at three different locations on Saxon Street. 

For further questions and information, please contact COCA’s Public Art Manager at sam@tallahasseearts.org

Program Details

The Greater Bond neighborhood is a predominately African American community in Tallahassee and is affectionately referred to as the “heart and soul of Tallahassee’s Southside.” Bond is centrally located in the city’s urban core. Within walking distance of downtown and Cascades Park, the St. Mark’s Trail runs directly through the neighborhood which is nestled in the shadow of the historical Florida A&M University. 

Since the 1940s, the community has been a bustling hub of activity due to the schools, churches, grocery stores, and other Black-owned and Black-serving businesses. Some of Tallahassee’s most influential activists and trailblazers have roots in the Bond neighborhood which now features streets, parks, and community centers that have been named after these individuals to commemorate their work.

In recent years, the neighborhood experienced some disinvestment, prompting Bond residents to create the Neighborhood First Plan. The plan consists of four priority areas of focus, including Community Beautification. Through a South Arts grants and other sources of funding, the Greater Bond Community Action Team, the City of Tallahassee, and the Council on Culture & Arts (COCA) are partnering to initiate public art projects in the neighborhood.

As part of the Neighborhood First Plan, residents requested the completion of a new Linear Park that links the neighborhood
to multiple community assets, to include a community “art garden”. The art garden features 5 unique artworks created by Greater Bond member and FAMU student, Zarreyn Gaines. These works of art have been printed onto permanent materials and installed along the walkway of newly-established Linear Park. “I feel very, very proud that people see what I can do,” Gaines said. “I’m actually glad that they decided that I am the guy.”

As part of the Great Art for Greater Bond initiative, Bond residents requested utility post “street light” banners along Saxon Street which highlight the neighborhood’s community members and assets. Local photographer and artist, Walter McDonald, was selected by the Greater Bond Neighborhood to document the important people, places, and events of the area using photography. These lovely photos will then be printed onto Boulevard Banners and displayed on utility posts down the main street of the community. COCA is also working with neighborhood members and leaders for input on final design choices. 

The Bond neighborhood is bounded by FAMU Way to the north; Orange Avenue to the south; Pasco Street, Wahnish Way, Perry Street, and Eugenia Street to the east; and Lake Bradford Road to the west.

In the ‘40s and ‘50s, the neighborhood was a bustling economic area dominated by restaurants, lounges, laundromats, grocery stores, and hair salons. Today, Speed’s Grocery, located at 801 Floral Street, is one of the few remaining businesses.

The store was not only where families bought groceries, it also served as a secret meeting place for Civil Rights leaders to organize non-violent protests and it’s where the Tallahassee bus boycotts were planned. In the decades that followed, the Speed’s store suffered from loitering and illegal sales but, with new owners, the store has been revived as a place for neighborhood commerce and pride.

A mural called “The Cookout” was painted on this historic building by artist Michael Crowne in 2022. 

Through a Bloomberg Philanthropies grant, the Council on Culture & Arts (COCA), the Greater Bond Neighborhood Association, and the City of Tallahassee’s Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Affairs (PRNA) Department partnered to facilitate the creative painting of 5 crosswalks and 1 intersection at 3 locations within the Greater Bond neighborhood. 3 artists and designs were selected through community voting in the Greater Bond Neighborhood and Asphalt Art murals were installed in May of 2023. The artists and locations are: 

Saxon Street and Tucker Street: Franzline Whaley

Saxon Street and Osceola Street: Vardyce Gaines 

Saxon Street and Linear Park: Lindsey Masterson

Visit the Asphalt Art page to learn more about this amazing project!

 

Special Thanks

South_Arts_logo-primary