About the Project
The 6,000-square-foot Spraygrounds at Ralph Sampson Park opened July 1, 2025, with 36 spray features and interactive elements designed for various ages. In fall 2025, Harrisonburg residents Steve and Chris Carpenter offered to provide a major gift for design and installation of three Spraygrounds public artworks, to be completed in phases during 2026. Upon completion, ownership of the artworks will be conveyed to the City of Harrisonburg.
The Carpenters are working with Arts Council of the Valley (ACV), City of Harrisonburg (City), and Northeast Neighborhood Association (NENA) representatives regarding artwork placement, style, themes, and content. A November 20, 2025, meeting in the Northeast Neighborhood introduced the project to community members, generating ideas for the new works of art and preferred locations. To ensure participation, this gathering was scheduled in conjunction with a Small Area Plan Community Connectors meeting. The project committee (the Carpenters, with representatives from the City, ACV, and NENA) used feedback from the meeting to select three locations and develop content themes.
Although the Northeast Neighborhood comprises just 1.7% of the City’s total footprint, its historical significance is profound. During Urban Renewal in the 1950s and 1960s, major infrastructure projects fractured the Neighborhood’s cultural and physical assets, disrupting a thriving Black community and leaving lasting scars. The Small Area Plan lays out a path toward healing past injustices and building a more equitable future. The plan reflects the City’s commitment to prioritizing the Northeast Neighborhood for meaningful investment and improvement, and to holding the City accountable for that promise.
