Friday, July 13, 2012

Next Public Art Project: Houston Street Bridge, at AT&T Parkway

Back in the Fall of 2011, Bernice Williams and I were awarded a public art commission to create artwork for the Houston Street Bridge. So far, we have contacted many area stakeholders and received a wealth of information regarding content ideas for our artwork. We have presented our preliminary ideas/format to the San Antonio Public Art Board, and we are now fully in the concept development phase of the design process. I thought I would share bits of the process on this blog. 




The basic format of the bridge is very similar to my Toad and Golf Bridges, The artwork will be on the interior only, and will consist of a total of 40 ceramic panels inset into the guardrails. The panels will be no bigger than 2x5', and once again, I will provide the contractors with foam cutouts so they can cast a 1" void for my panels to be mortared into. 

Bernice and I are working on the concept for each panel and have started laying out a "story board" using post it notes. After we finalize the concepts we will start gathering images and making sketches to use when we begin building. Bernice's main job to to help gather information, documentation, and concept development. We are hoping that we can get 4 finials approved to be included in the artwork design (2 on each end). If we can get that approved, that will be her main focus when we build the project, while I execute the 40 ceramic panels.

Next steps are to meet with more people that live and work in the area in order to gather more information about the history and future use, begin sketching the panels and developing the shapes and motifs, and start coming up with a glaze palette.  We hope to present our ideas the the community in August and then to the Public Art Board for approval. If all goes well, we hope to start building by late fall/early winter. Installation will be complete by 2013.

Thanks!
Diana

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