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The Andrews Avenue bridge, under scheduled construction until 2020

Charette About It

Broward Cultural Division is installing public artwork on one of the most visible drawbridges and pedestrian walkway sections in Fort Lauderdale. There’s lot of change coming to Broward County. With rising infrastructure investment and fast-paced…

Broward Cultural Division is installing public artwork on one of the most visible drawbridges and pedestrian walkway sections in Fort Lauderdale.

There’s lot of change coming to Broward County. With rising infrastructure investment and fast-paced construction there is no question that Broward is growing – and fast. 

The Andrews Avenue bridge, located over the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale, is currently under scheduled construction until 2020 for needed upgrades that include improved electrical systems and watch towers. As an added bonus,  Broward County Highway Bridge and Maintenance, which manages the bridge, contacted the Cultural Division about other modifications that could enhance the bridge’s appeal and reinforce Fort Lauderdale as a cultural destination. With one percent of eligible construction costs allocated to public art for highway projects, projects like this one offer a great opportunity to integrate Broward’s growing art scene into its municipal structures.

Broward Cultural Division has long encouraged the community to become involved in its arts and organizational processes, which is why when assigned to installing public artwork on the Andrews Avenue bridge, it decided to host its first charette.

A charette is an interactive meeting with various “shareholders” to map out solutions or ideas. During two sessions, participants with a wide variety of specialties and backgrounds from throughout the County came together to view current structural plans for the bridge and discuss potential types of artwork that could be installed.

Attendees were invited to provide input on what they envisioned for this open canvas, whether they preferred to see a lighting project, a mural, or a statue, as well as offer insight into what they thought the area needed. The goal of the charette wasn’t so much to agree on one type of installation to proceed with, but rather for the Cultural Division to get input from the community on how it wanted that area to develop, and what it thought could aid in that development.

Now, with the bridge nearing completion, the Cultural Division has released a Call to Artists for the Andrews Avenue bridge public art project.

Applications for this opportunity are open until the end of the day on July 1, 2019. Artists and artist-led teams are invited to submit proposals for this highly visible project. Applications will be reviewed in August 2019, and from there the artist or team will start the improvement project. Information is available here

In addition to this opportunity, artists and other members of the community are invited to keep up with other upcoming projects on the Cultural Division’s website here.