Local color vivid in Baker’s Alley
Nestled between the Arkansas Repertory Theatre and the parking deck at Sixth and Scott streets, Baker’s Alley is not a typical concrete cityscape. In the past few years, the alley has become a destination filled with beautiful colors, local art and pretty plants.
Carol Worley, chair of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership’s Public Spaces Committee, said the alley’s transformation into a larger-than-life art space for photo shoots, music videos and events is one of the committee’s proudest accomplishments.
“Baker’s Alley is a hidden gem in the heart of downtown Little Rock that quite literally makes passersby stop in their tracks,” she said. “You’re walking or driving down the street, and out of nowhere, down this alley, you see pops of color and artwork and all these awesome and bizarre ideas that have come to life. It’s quirky and it’s unexpected, and that’s what makes it so special.”
The pavement is covered in rainbow stripes, and the alley is lined with brightly colored planters that contain seasonal herbs and flowers. The doors on one side of the alley are covered in work by local artists as part of the Alley Door Project, and the other side of the alley displays seven 4-by-6-foot panels that offers themed art installations that are changed twice a year. The parking deck itself is decorated with bikes that have baskets full of flowers, and each level of the parking deck is painted a different hue.
“The unique thing about Baker’s Alley is you never know what you’ll see next. It’s always morphing and changing,” Worley added. “Without the ability to host events in 2020, we were itching to exert our creativity in new ways, so Baker’s Alley got a lot of love.”
New colors that adorned the alley in 2020 included a doorway that was painted to look like a light was shining on it, as well as the Rainbow Road that flows down the center of the alley. Worley said the road was painted inexpensively using spare paint.
“Our 2020 brainstorming sessions usually went something like, ‘What can we do that is relatively low-cost but makes a big impact?’ Rainbow Road was a product of these brainstorming sessions,” she said. “It was one of those on-a-whim projects that ended up drawing more photo shoots, music videos, etc. in Baker’s Alley than we’ve ever seen before.”
Another affordable but attractive project was Herbs in the Alley, in which the Public Spaces Committee painted old concrete planters, replaced the soil and planted herbs and flowers in the structures. Worley said the project presented a safe, socially distanced activity for the committee.
“The spring weather was beautiful. People were spending more time outside, everyone had plants and flowers on the mind, and we thought, ‘That’s an easy way to spread a little cheer,’” she said. “We were working on a budget, so we had to be intentional in our plant selections, and herbs are pretty affordable. We got the idea to turn the planters in the alley into a community garden of sorts.”
Baker’s Alley also serves as an open-air gallery. Last year, the alley was home to The Masked Project, by Ashley Murphy, which was a collection of expressive photos of people wearing face coverings, and 2020 Through My Eyes, which showcased work by seven Arkansas artists ages 23 and younger.
“We had never done a project specifically showcasing young talent in our state, and we also knew the student-age population was especially affected by the pandemic,” Worley said. “We morphed those two ideas to do a project documenting 2020 through the eyes of young artists. Each painting was completely different from the others, and each had its own unique message. We were blown away with how it all turned out.”
The alley displays new public art installations every six months, Worley added, and the next installation will center on the theme “Celebrate the 501” in honor of central Arkansas.
One of the least glamorous but most important of the committee’s accomplishments in Baker’s Alley last year was to renegotiate contracts with local trash companies to limit the number of dumpsters in the alley to two and make them more discreet.
In the future, the committee plans to upgrade other downtown alleys by improving lighting and adding public art, Worley said, adding that the community uses Baker’s Alley every day.
“Whether it’s driving or walking through to check out the art, having lunch by the buffalo mural or getting your senior pictures taken, the space is open for the public’s enjoyment,” she said. “In post-COVID-19 times, we hope to activate the space for events as well.”