Graw Alley outdoor art space opens in Havre de Grace

Graw Alley, the interactive art park component of Harmer’s Town Art Center, officially opened in Havre de Grace on Oct. 20. The grand opening featured a reception, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, an art unveiling and youth art gallery installation.

Attendees enjoyed a day-long block party featuring live music and entertainers, art demonstrations and food vendors. Organizers said the celebration was a demonstration of the types of events and activities the community can expect the creative park space to host.

“We know that arts create community,” said Maryland State Comptroller Brooke Lierman, who, during her time as a state delegate, worked on creating a similar art space out of a dilapidated structure in Baltimore. “I know that the ribbon-cutting today, it’s not the end. This is a new beginning for this piece of property, for this community. But also a new phase in what’s going to continue to grow and build and educate so many people, not just from Havre de Grace, but from the entire state.”

Lierman was the keynote speaker on a program that also included remarks from Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly, State Sen. Mary-Dulany James, state delegates Steven C. Johnson and Andre V. Johnson, Jr., Harford County Council President Patrick S. Vincenti, and Havre de Grace Mayor William T. Martin.

“The outdoor murals that adorn its walls are not just strokes of paint, but visual narratives that tell the story of Havre de Grace,” Martin said. “They are a reflection of our shared past, our forgotten treasures and the moments that have defined our community.”

The one-acre space, a private alley donated to Harmer’s Town Art Center, Inc., is named in recognition of the former horse racing track that operated in the city for over 40 years until the early 1950’s. The space has been transformed over the last year from an underused alley into a park with landscaped pathways, artistic sculptures, outdoor seating and a series of vivid murals leading visitors on a tour through local history.

A life-size sculpture of the racehorse “Havre de Grace,” created by award-winning artist Aaron Paskins of Delaware, was unveiled. The statue is on display within a section of Graw Alley called The Winner’s Circle, and will soon be joined by several other life-sized racehorses that each have a connection to the city’s former racetrack.

The festivities also included the opening of the Alley Art Youth Art Challenge, a pop-up gallery inside the future Harmer’s Town Art Center building featuring the creative efforts of more than 400 local Havre de Grace area school students. These pieces were created from materials donated by local businesses, sponsored by the Maryland State Arts Council and supported by the Morris A. Mechanic Foundation, according to a news release from the organization.

Graw Alley is the initial phase of the development of Harmer’s Town Art Center — a first-of-its-kind regional art facility and art incubator to be constructed in an adjacent 34,000-square-foot space, which will bring together the arts, history and community of Havre de Grace in a centralized location within the heart of the city’s vibrant arts district, the release said.

The project was funded by private donors and grants, provided by state and local governments.