If You Build It They Will Come

Brooksville Main Street Program is coordinating a community event that will engage multiple interested parties.  We are providing an opportunity for large scale community involvement with low cost events.  We plan to provide the resources necessary for the community to build up to 5 separate displays that will be utilized for the following:

• Showing support of the arts in our community by having the displays painted in conjunction with 3 separate regularly themed events:  Founder's Week, Christmas on Main and New Year's
• Enhancing our appreciation of our agricultural lifestyle in Hernando county by providing a "Green" planted component for each built display
• Help re-build community spirit for Downtown Brooksville that has been lost over the past several decades due to economic decline
• Engage the design trades to reinvigorate a desire to foster re-development for Downtown Brooksville's historic resources

Through the concepts presented by Project for Public Space in their Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper model, Brooksville Main Street shall work to create a publicly available installation that will engage many facets of the community: 

1.     Architects, engineers, and trades to design and construct the main installations of the project.

2.     Horticulture & garden associations to implement a natural feature to the constructed installations of the builders.

3.     Hernando County Fine Arts Council and any associated groups or affiliates to coordinate art contests to beautify the installation.

4.     Community engagement through artistic direction to incorporate all age groups into the design and implementation of the installations.

5.     Musicians and other performance artists to engage in the celebratory aspects of the project through the multiple phases.

The project will coordinate with all interested parties to design, develop and implement an installation to be set near the footsteps of the Hernando County Courthouse (directly across from the local Edward Jones Financial Office).  Our community currently hosts two separate week long events called Founder’s Week and Christmas Week, both of which take place in the last quarter of 2017.  Through this grant program, we will further engage the community with a temporary installation that will further enhance community involvement and engagement with their most significant place:  Downtown Brooksville – the only downtown located in the entire county.

1.     Phase I of the project will be to design and construct the installation.  This will be performed by local tradesmen in the building arts, and depending on interest will try to perform this as a design competition.

2.     Phase II of the project will be to engage the local garden and horticulture associations to provide plantings to be incorporated into the installations.  Our current thought is to utilize a topiary/creative planting design competition.

3.     Phase III of the project will be to allow the arts and public community to engage in a painting competition to match the theme of our Founder’s Week Celebration.  This painting competition may utilize coordination between artist and community to allow things like a Paint-By-Number design done by an artist in which the community can collectively see the design come to fruition through their own efforts.

4.     Phase IV of the project will be to further the arts theme by allowing a secondary painting of the items to coordinate with the theme of Christmas Week.

5.     Phase V of the competition will be a final painting done exclusively by local arts who will design and apply for the final painting of the installations.  This will be a competitive selection process with final awardees selected by a panel.  Awards to be granted to at least the top three competitors.

6.     Phase VI of the project will be the process of divesting the installations.  An auction of the installations will be conducted as a further opportunity of fundraising for the Brooksville Main Street Program.  To be conducted in conjunction with the New Year’s Holiday timeframe.

7.     Phase VII will be removal of the items and any necessary clean-up or repairs associated with the project that may have occurred over the several months duration.

Brooksville Main Street is a committed community partner charged with reinvigorating a thriving community spirit through revitalization of Historic Downtown Brooksville.  By identifying the true strength of our community - its citizens - Brooksville Main Street is developing programs and activities to re-engage our citizens with their downtown.

This project will provide community participation at 4 scheduled events.  Outside of the scheduled events, these community-created displays will serve to show pride in our local community and provide a place for people to gather and share in their passion for Downtown Brooksville.  This event will serve to re-initiate community stories that will start with "I remember when...."

A common phrase often heard in Brooksville is "It has such great potential."  This project will help formulate the future growth of Brooksville by letting residents be involved in physically shaping the story that will become uniquely Brooksville.