DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO – A fanciful forest of public artwork called “Urban Trees 5” was officially unveiled yesterday on San Diego's North Embarcadero.
The collection of 31 sculptures will remain in place for a year along a half-mile stretch of North Harbor Drive between the Cruise Ship Terminal and Hawthorn Street.
This is the fifth year for the rotating exhibit, which is part of the Port of San Diego's public art program. Each of the sculptures was built around a pole and anchored in a planter box. The artists used a variety of designs and materials to realize their visions. Materials included steel, glass, tiles, copper, wood and canvas.
“Every one is an original sculptural artwork,” said Allan Tait, a public art project manager for the port.
The works were selected from 122 proposals. Some of the sculptors are full-time artists “and others are transitioning into the public art field,” Tait said.
“A Day in the Life” by Meilisa Lim is a whimsical depiction of a squid made of fiberglass and resin. “My Bike” by Amos Robinson is a kinetic sculpture with reflective, polished steel surfaces. The work depicts a bicyclist. As the wind blows, the wheels of the bicycle turn and appear to change direction.
“Californiascope” by Vicki Leon, Harmon Nelson and Steve Riggs is a kaleidoscope crafted from welded steel and carved glass. A long line formed at the sculpture yesterday morning as passersby took turns peering inside.
Riggs, 44, said he was trying to capture the spirit of 19th-century illustrations from science fiction works. A Normal Heights resident, he said he was inspired to become an artist after attending Burning Man, an annual event in the Nevada desert that features original artwork.
“I switched careers,” Riggs said. “I had worked in home construction for over 20 years.”
Not far from Riggs' work, Tiffany Huang, 19, of Fullerton, was admiring “Stairway to Heaven” by Tom Roberts, a spiral staircase built from sheet metal plates that change color as the temperature shifts. “It's amazing,” Huang said. “It looks like it's really going up to heaven.”
Located at the northern end of the exhibition, “It's a Sign” was created by a group of art students from San Diego State University. It depicts four hands spelling out the word “tree” in American Sign Language.
“Our tree is a collaboration of five students,” art instructor Jennifer Anderson said. “It turned into a metaphor for underserved communities and cultures.”
A public dedication ceremony for the exhibit was held at 10 a.m. yesterday outside the Cruise Ship Terminal, drawing about 200 people. The sculptures in the latest crop of urban trees are for sale, with asking prices ranging between $5,000 and $90,000. Unsold works will be returned to the artists at the end of the display.
Emmet Pierce: (619) 293-1372; emmet.pierce@uniontrib.com
