Calling All Creative Kids! Get Your Artwork on PATH400

Staff Report

As the first phase of PATH400’s construction nears completion, Livable Buckhead is looking to budding young Buckhead artists to help put the finishing touches on a wall along the trail.

A retaining wall midway along the first section of the trail includes railings that will feature several six-foot-tall steel panels that will be cut with student-created designs. Each panel will be backed in plexiglass, allowing sunlight to shine through and light the design from behind, casting colorful patterns on PATH400.

“When we came up with this idea for the panels , I knew right away that this would be a great way to get the youngest members of our community involved with designing PATH400,” said Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead. “Kids are great at simple, beautiful drawings, which are exactly what we need for these panels. And it’s a great way to put the community’s stamp on this project.”

The design contest is open to any child in kindergarten through fifth grade who lives or attends school (public or private) in Buckhead. Design guidelines include:

• Shapes, patterns and objects are preferred, but words are also welcome. No religious, political, derogatory or otherwise offensive content will be permitted.
• Designs will be cut out of sheet metal panels and will be cast onto the concrete path by sunlight shining through the cutouts in the metal. The pattern will shift as the angle of the sunlight changes throughout the day, and student artists are encouraged to make use of that.
• Designs should have defined edges and no shading or overlapping areas that cannot be accommodated as cutouts.

For additional design guidelines and complete instructions for participation, visit the Livable Buckhead website. All entries must be submitted to Livable Buckhead by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014. The winning entries will be unveiled when the first section of PATH400 is opened to the public in January.