arts One of the great challenges of public art is deciding where to put it. As Racca-Sittre explained to us, publicly funded art projects must “by law connect to a project that’s listed that’s not for public art.” But since every district includes improvement projects for “pedestrian mobility,” that gives PASA the green light to install public art “anywhere in the district as long as there might be pedestrians.” The chosen location for local art star Cruz Ortiz’s 60-foot-tall Dream Song Tower may seem like an odd one — an urban slice that butts up to the I-35 access road, South Zarzamora Street and active railroad tracks. Unless you’re hoofing it to Baptist Emergency Hospital or South Park Mall, you probably won’t experience this one as a pedestrian unless you make a point of it. Drivers, it seems, are its target audience, and folks stopped in traffic on I-35 might have the best view of its entirety. Described by PASA as “a welcoming gateway to the South San District,” the dramatic sculpture recalls a strange hybrid of a radio tower, a rocket ship and a tepee tricked out with Ortiz’s graphic signatures and visual nods to Selena (the words “Siempre Dreaming of You”) and the urban legends of the Donkey Lady and the chicken-footed Dancing Devil. If the chief purpose was to add visual interest to a former eyesore, mission accomplished. It’s an undeniable statement piece with pizzazz aplenty (some of the design elements even twirl in the wind like pinwheels), but there’s so much noise surrounding it (visual and otherwise) that it’s not exactly a destination where many would opt to linger.
q RDG Dahlquist Art Studio: Aguas Onduladas (Rippling Waters) Elmendorf Lake Park, 3702 W. Commerce St. Like Dream Song Tower, the recently dedicated sculpture Aguas Onduladas was born from a desire to beautify a dilapidated bit of land — and it’s also unfortunately nestled on a traffic triangle amid unappealing elements (telephone poles, wires, etc.), which makes it tough to photograph it in a way that reads as “art.” Designed by Iowa-based RDG Dahlquist Art Studio in response to the “natural beauty” of nearby Elmendorf Lake, the project takes shape in three rippling waves cut from stainless steel. During our meeting with Racca-Sittre, she likened the installation to a transitional space or “gateway” from the neighborhood into Elmendorf Lark Park, which recently underwent a $16.2 million improvement project that includes new pedestrian bridges, LED lighting, a splash pad and tile mosaic artwork and benches by local fixture Oscar Alvarado. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of Aguas Onduladas (besides the fact that it lights up from within and looks considerably more realized and romantic at night) also illustrates the role of PASA’s Public Art Committee. As Racca-Sittre explained, the committee members felt the project needed to be tied “a little bit more to the community” and pitched the idea that poetry be etched into the undulating
stainless steel. A natural fit, West Side native Carmen Tafolla — San Antonio’s inaugural Poet Laureate from 2012 to 2014 and later Texas Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2016 — rose to the occasion by selecting excerpts from two of her poems: “River Music” and “Cada Sueño.”
M Cathy CunninghamLittle: Spirit of the Phoenix Fire Station 18, 1318 S. WW White Road Following suit with Aguas Onduladas, ever-inventive local artist Cathy Cunningham-Little’s Spirit of the Phoenix is optimized for nighttime viewing in a
fairly unusual spot. Created to accentuate a vintage fire apparatus (read: truck) in what one might describe as a storefront or showroom attached to Fire Station 18, the project sees Cunningham-Little softening up her geometric lighting wizardry for a large-scale installation that alludes to fire and firefighting through the juxtaposition of hot and cold colors, ladder-like projections and an abstract pattern inspired by the mythical phoenix rising from the flames. Set back a bit from the sidewalk, Spirit of the Phoenix might fly under the radar more than any other project we visited. Despite the fascinating light tapestry it casts onto the interior walls and exterior walkway, there feels like an imaginary barrier in place. (When’s the last time you wandered up to a fire station to peek inside?) Speaking to the Current over the phone from Hawaii, Cunningham-Little, who is married to sculptor and fellow public artist Ken Little, explained that while it might look best at night, the station often welcomes daytime visitors in for a closer look.
a Legge Lewis Legge: Love Is Never Lost West End Park, 1226 NW 18th St. Undoubtedly the easiest project in the lot to take a jab at, Austin-based outfit Legge Lewis Legge’s installation Love Is Never Lost got the unenviable task of beautifying a Google Fiber Hut in an unassuming neighborhood park. At its core an installation of colored metal tabs installed on a chain-link fence surrounding said hut, Love Is Never Lost almost defies the sacurrent.com | August 8–14, 2018 | CURRENT
23