Friday September 2, 2011 was a beautiful day in uptown Charlotte to celebrate the groundbreaking of the long-awaited Romare Bearden Park. It was very appropriate, because this particular day marked Bearden’s Centennial birthday. (This celebrated artist was actually born in Charlotte not far from the park site.)

Already more than a decade in the planning, when finally completed, the park will transform an entire city block (the corner of South Church and Third Street) and will probably be one of the largest interactive works of art in North Carolina. From the beginning, the design was generated by a team who understood parks and their purpose. But what makes this endeavor unique is that Romare Bearden Park is inspired by the artist, as well as the work he created.

Bearden said, “It’s not what you see as much as what you feel.” This park will provide things to see, feel and experience for all who visit. There will be a variety of spaces within, including those for active recreation, areas for larger events and even water features for children of all ages to play in. The idea is for this park to be accessible all the time and provide more of the much-needed public outdoor recreational space for uptown.

Like all parks in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, it will be free to everyone and will bring many different people together. Also like many projects in this town, this is a public and private investment with multiple funding sources. (During fiscal year 2004, local voters approved a park bond including funding for Romare Bearden Park.) This includes the private “Partners for Parks Foundation,” which provides both volunteers and funds for local parks. It also raises money for park maintenance. As Darrell Williams with Partners for Parks pointed out, parks have economic, social and environmental impact and, specifically, “Romare Bearden Park will act as a crossroads.”

The groundbreaking event reflected the multiple groups vested in this new park venture, from government and private organizations to art groups, not to mention the different communities represented to join in the excitement. There were a number of reminders of the incredible impact this one artist had on so many.

Bearden was best known for his collages inspired by his earliest experiences in Charlotte. As playwright and poet Ruth E. Sloane explained before reading excerpts from her original play based on the artist, “The Southern world is what Romare Bearden painted.”

After some history of the project and personal connections with the artist were shared, four new Bearden stamps were unveiled, and then everyone migrated to the upper corner of the city lot and watched as one of the last buildings had a corner knocked off. Although there have been years of work invested in this project, the excitement about Romare Bearden Park was energized by standing on and imaging this city block transformed.

Check out more details on the Parks and Recreation website.