Stay Gallery featuring interactive exhibit for Downey's pedestrian plan
DOWNEY – In collaboration with the City of Downey, Stay Gallery is proud to be hosting a one of-a-kind interactive art and engagement exhibition for the Walk Downey initiative.
‘How Will You Walk Downey?’ will be on view at Stay Gallery throughout the month of October. Walk Downey is the community’s long-range vision for the future of walking in the City of Downey. This pedestrian plan will help shape citywide walkability, from safe and comfortable sidewalks and crosswalks to new education and safety programs.
“As someone who grew up walking, biking, taking the bus, and driving all over Downey, I have experienced how access to the city’s assets – schools, parks, the Downey Link, river trails, and local service groups and businesses – can open up a world of possibility for local residents,” said Miguel Nunez, consultant team project manager with Fehr & Peers.
“We’ve heard that people walk in Downey for many reasons, including health, fun, or as a way to get to school. We also know that arts and education play a major role locally, so we wanted to think of a way to combine that local emphasis and pride with the Walk Downey effort. The goal of Walk Downey is to make walking easier and more convenient so that residents of all ages and abilities have options to travel depending on where they want to go and what they want to do. We are particularly excited to bring the interactive art exhibition to Stay Gallery, as a way of harnessing the community’s passion for the arts with the opportunity to hear more from local residents about how this plan can help them get around Downey.”
‘How Will You Walk Downey?’ is a unique experience, merging past, present and future
elements of walking in the City of Downey. One section of the exhibition is dedicated to an interactive installation that encourages community member participation. The feedback collected will help inform the types of policies, projects, and recommendations that will be incorporated into the Walk Downey pedestrian plan.
“We are always looking for opportunities to involve and engage our community members,” said Mayor Rick Rodriguez. “This interactive exhibit provides an opportunity for residents to provide valuable input that will help with the development of our very own pedestrian plan, helping to increase overall safety and connectivity in our City.”
Another section of the exhibition is dedicated to Downey’s history, with images provided by the Downey Historical Society.
An opening reception was held on Friday, October 3, featuring a historical walking tour hosted by George Redfox of The Downey Conservancy. Community members gathered to participate in the interactive installation and learn more about the pedestrian plan’s vision and goals.
For those looking to get involved, there will be two additional receptions on Friday, Oct. 11 from 6–9 pm and Saturday, Oct. 19, from 11 am to 2 pm. A closing reception will be held on Friday, Nov. 1, from 6–9 pm. All receptions are open to the public.
Mayor Pro Tem Blanca Pacheco commented, “Downey’s pedestrian plan will provide a unified vision for the future of walking in our City. We are pleased to partner with Stay Gallery to create a space that allows our residents to become engaged and directly impact the types of policies and recommendations that will be incorporated into the pedestrian plan.”
“For Stay, this is a first of its kind,” said Gabriel Enamorado, Executive Director of Stay Gallery.
“This exhibition unites the arts, civic engagement and our community’s development in a fun and engaging way. We look forward to providing community members with an opportunity to participate in a dialogue that benefits our city’s infrastructure and program offerings.”
To learn more about the exhibition, please visit staygallery.org/walkdowney. To learn more about the Walk Downey initiative to improve walking in the City of Downey, or to share any comments, questions or ideas, please visit walkdowney.com.