Calgary's BUMP Festival receives funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Asphalt Art Initiative

This mural-in-progress by Nathan Meguinis at 1320 1st St S.W. in Calgary was part of the 2020 BUMP Festival. The festival received an Asphalt Art Initiatives Grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies Tuesday.

Calgary's BUMP Festival, which has been responsible for many of the spectacular murals that have transformed downtown into a kind of vertical art gallery, got some love Tuesday from the Bloomberg Asphalt Art Initiative.

That's the name of a project funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, that recognizes cities around the world that embrace art as an effective and relatively inexpensive way to activate their streets.

Calgary was one of 25 North American cities in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico singled out for its street art. The festival will receive up to US $25,000 plus technical support "to install projects that use art and design to improve street safety, revitalize public spaces and engage residents," Bloomberg Philanthropies aid in a media release.

The projects were selected from over 200 applications. Each one addresses a challenge related to pedestrian and cyclist safety in their city.

Calgary's project will "create or enhance safe pedestrian space," the organization said.

Halifax was also singled out for a project that aims to reduce conflicts between drivers and pedestrians along a series of intersections.

Other cities receiving grants include Colima, Merida, Puebla, Juarez, Mazatlán, Mexico City and Oaxaca in Mexico.

U.S. cities include Anderson, S.C., Clarksdale, Miss., Fall River, Mass., Fort Collins, Col., Honolulu, Hawaii Little Rock, Ark., New Orleans, La., Passaic, N.J., Flagstaff, Ariz., Louisville, Ky., Minneapolis, Minn., Portland, Ore., Rockville, Md., Stamford, Conn., Milwaukee, Wis. and San Francisco, Calif.

"We are thrilled," the BUMP Festival posted on X, formerly Twitter, "to announce that Calgary, through BUMP Festival, @cityofcalgary and @SustainableYYC has been selected as one of 25 North American cities to receive $25K (USD) from Bloomberg Philanthropies to help improve street safety and revitalize public space through art!"

Sustainable YYC chimed in on X, writing "Big congratulations to the kids and youth whose ideas and priorities will be brought to life with this work! We are so thrilled!"