The South Huntsville Main Business Association held a ribbon cutting alongside representatives from Arts Huntsville and Grissom High School (GHS) to unveil the completion of a public light art installation in what is now being called the ‘Tiger Tunnel’ behind the school. The pedestrian access tunnel runs underneath Haysland Road and will connect Grissom High School with the greenways as well as the city park and adjacent neighborhoods planned for the area across the street.
GHS Principal Jeanne Greer said, “The students and Grissom High School are very excited about this tunnel project with new lighting. It’s going to really bridge the neighborhoods together.”
Art students at Grissom High will have the opportunity to create light art by changing the colors and patterns of the lights in the tunnel. Grissom Art Teacher Maggie Jobe said, “This collaboration allows for art students at GHS to be directly involved in their community […] while expanding their knowledge of public art.”
“I think it really fleshes out this area,” said GHS Junior Morgan Mitchell, “because when the school was first built nothing was here, so it’s nice to see this this little area of Huntsville coming to fruition.”
Eventually, murals and other types of artwork may be added to the tunnel as well. GHS Senior Christopher Peterson said, “There’s not tons of public art on this side of Huntsville, so it’s going to be great to see a lot of local artists […] collaborating in this tunnel as well as the lights.”
The tunnel is now fully open to the public, but visitors will need to come after dark to see the new lighting setup in action.
