A committee made up of local residents, members of the City of Carlsbad Arts Commission and an arts professional has unanimously selected the artist team that will create public art for the I-5 underpass on Chestnut between Harding Street and Pio Pico Drive.
Work is scheduled to start next month on the Chestnut Avenue underpass project, which includes doubling the width of sidewalks to 10 feet, building bike lanes, and adding landscaping and lighting. The project is part of the Build North Coast Corridor Project, a combination of transportation improvements, environmental protection and coastal access projects in the cities of Solana Beach, Encinitas, and Carlsbad being constructed by Caltrans and SANDAG.
Public art process
The City of Carlsbad’s public art process includes inviting community members to serve on a subcommittee to interview and select an artist, which took place Jan. 4. Two artists and one artist team responded to a limited call for artists issued by the city last fall. The city sought proposals from artists with experience working on major transportation infrastructure projects, due to their complexity, engineering requirements and strict timelines.
Watch the artist interviews.
The interviews focused on the artists qualifications only, not specific ideas for this project. The selected artist team, known as Greenmeme, is a collaboration between artists Freyja Bardell and Brian Howe. They will work with the community to develop a vision for the artwork that reflects the history, heritage and identity of Carlsbad’s Barrio and surrounding area. The Chestnut undercrossing serves as one of the main entrances to the Barrio and links the neighborhoods around Holiday Park on the east side of the freeway to the Barrio.
Since 2006, Greenmeme has created several public art projects throughout California and beyond, each unique to the values and history of the communities where they’re located. At Thursday’s meeting, several members of the subcommittee cited the artists’ experience and commitment to engaging community members in the process as a key factor in their selection.
Greenmeme’s application stressed the opportunity presented by this project to enhance public spaces and fostering community engagement, “Our interest in this project stems from our vision of how art can serve as a catalyst for placemaking, enriching public experience by establishing visual connections between neighboring communities. Approaching this project, we are committed to immersing ourselves in the community, to best learn its history, current dynamics, and future aspirations. Central to our approach is active involvement of the public in the creative process. We prioritize community participation, seeking to engage individuals in both the creation and stewardship of the artwork. Our objective is to conceive and realize pieces that seamlessly integrate into their surroundings, provoking thoughtful contemplation. We firmly believe that a successful public artwork is born from a project designed in harmony with the established objectives within the community.”
Next steps
- City staff will develop a contract with Greenmeme.
- Greenmeme will then start gathering public input in the spring to shape the overall concept and design of the project.
- Once the design is developed, it will be shared with the public and presented to the city’s Arts Commission for review and a recommendation to the City Council.
- The final design will be presented to the City Council in the fall.
Those interested in participating in the development of this public art project can sign up to be notified via email about upcoming opportunities.
The road improvements are being built by Caltrans and SANDAG, funded by a combination of state and federal sources, and expected to take 18 months to complete. The public art is being coordinated through the City of Carlsbad’s Cultural Arts Office and paid for by city funds. The total budget for the public art component is $400,000.
More information:
Project webpage
Public Art Advisory Subcommittee meeting
Greenmeme application
