Adams Avenue:
A Work in Progress
120 Banners Celebrating Community Revitalization

Adams Avenue has been transformed into a public gallery with the placement of 120 banners on the antique lampposts from Vista Drive in Kensington to 30th Street in Normal Heights. The banners went up the week of September 21, 1998 in time for our gala celebration on Thursday, September 24 at Smitty's Service Station, 3441 Adams Ave. A good time was had by all.

The title of the project "Adams Avenue: A Work In Progress" denotes an ongoing process and a promise of a more polished product to come. The AABA and its sister organizations throughout the community, see their revitalization missions as a work in progress with the promise of an increasingly healthy community.

The banners project an image of a community in transition, one actively engaged in the process of self-transformation. The title of the piece thus refers to myriad activities in which the AABA (among others) is engaged. These activities include tree planting, the replacement of deteriorated sidewalks, job creation, facade improvement subsidies, credit extensions, new business recruitment, quality of education issues, direct marketing, community newspapers and the organizing of celebrations such as the Adams Avenue Roots Festival and the Adams Avenue Street Fair.

Banner Districts

Banner districts promoting a community of businesses or a neighborhood are increasingly commonplace throughout the region and across the country. Normally, such banner projects contain one silk screened design or two to three alternating images which are then replicated for each and every banner hung. These banner districts are implemented to decorate the public space of an area either by highlighting the area's individual or historic characteristics, by promoting special events or holiday seasons, or by merely providing a pleasant aesthetic. While sharing some aspects of such banner districts, "Adams Avenue: A Work in Progress" provides a qualitatively different product.

One side of each banner contains a common graphic but the other side of each piece is what separates this banner project from others. The AABA selected 11 San Diego based artists to hand paint or design the other side.