Posted: April 2025
By: The Fort Myers CRA Innovation Walk Team
What started as a spark of an idea in late 2023 is now generating a groundswell of energy. The Innovation Walk—a visionary placemaking project powered by the Fort Myers CRA—is in full creative motion, weaving together history, public art, and the spirit of human ingenuity into one unforgettable placemaking project.
Read below for updates:
The Blue Light Debuts at the Edison Awards
This spring, we unveiled a demo of Adrian L. Burrell’s installation, The Blue Light at the 2025 Edison Awards. The reaction? Electric.
The public was ecstatic to engage with Burrell’s vision, an evocative installation that explores light as both illumination and metaphor. Inspired by blues music and the writings of Clyde Woods,
The Blue Light immerses viewers in a liminal space between night and day, consciousness and dreaming. It’s also a tribute to the collaborative brilliance of Edison and Lewis Latimer, reminding us that innovation is never a solo act.
What’s next?
A pre-application meeting is in the works to begin preparing this innovation for its permanent home in Centennial Park.
Take Off! Prepares for Lift-Off
Take Off! by artist and social designer Marisa Morán Jahn and architect Rafi Segal is soaring forward.
This interactive installation lets visitors walk up through an interior ramp, framing sky-high views of the Caloosahatchee River, before sliding back down in a joyful return to earth. It celebrates our airborne aspirations—and the wonder of play.
We’re thrilled to welcome Marisa and Rafi to Fort Myers in January 2025 for an on-site visit for its finalized placement and refine the user experience. Their collaboration is a perfect fit for Fort Myers, bringing together play, architecture, and innovation
with poetic clarity.
What’s next? Marisa and Rafi are currently solution-finding for the finalized site and iterating the design. We will keep you updated on the progress.
What’s Next for The Innovation Walk?
- A Master Plan RFP will soon be issued to help shape the next phase of the Innovation Walk and Centennial Park—ensuring all installations, pathways, and programming flow together as one cohesive, visionary experience.
- Blue Light is preparing for a pre-application meeting before construction can begin.
- Iterations of Take Off! continue to evolve following site visits.
Follow the Spark
Want to follow the progress or get involved?
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Visit us at TheInnovationWalk.com
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Follow @fortmyerscra on Instagram and Facebook for behind-the-scenes access, upcoming announcements, and public art in action.