Sorry for the break in posts. I’ve been sick. The annual yuck decided to visit me early this year. But let’s ignore that and go on to more interesting stuff–like Red Mountain Park and the Railroad Reservation Park!

On Oct. 24, the design firm for Red Mtn. Park will be back in town to present a draft of the master plan to the public (5:30-7:30 p.m. at the public library downtown). It would be great to see a big crowd, since that will send a message to community leaders that this park must happen.

Of course, that *would* be a night when I have something else I must attend. So I’m going to make a donation toward the purchase of land for the park. Since I had such a successful Artwalk, I can now give some of that back to B’ham and help make the park a reality. I like the idea of my art–which is inspired by the city–somehow benefiting the city. I plan to contribute to other B’ham civic projects down the road, so let me know if you hear of interesting projects. If you would like to contribute to land purchases for the park, check out redmountainpark.org. (I talked to someone connected with the site about what happens if the $7 million isn’t raised by Dec. 31, and he said they would likely be able to work out a financing plan with U.S. Steel. So in other words, your money wouldn’t go to waste.)

As for the Railroad Reservation Park (a future recipient of some of my art funds, for sure), I’m thrilled that it’s officially under way, and I’m excited about the possibilities. It seems the master plan for that park already incorporates some of the concepts for an ideal park I described in an earlier post. Very cool. For a look at what other cities are putting into their new urban parks, check out the “Public Domain” story at Good Magazine (a fascinating new publication that’s worth a read).