The San Diego Potter’s Guild in Spanish Village recently created this artistic tribute to the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and Balboa Park’s centennial.
A fun exhibit debuted today in Spanish Village’s large outdoor patio courtyard. It’s called Dance through the Decades of Art! Colorful works by local artists jut out of various planters, representing the history of art styles over the past century. It’s another creative offshoot resulting from Balboa Park’s centennial, which is being celebrated throughout this year! The cool exhibit lasts through November 25.
I walked about and took these photos…
Spanish Village in Balboa Park has a new Dance through the Decades of Art exhibit in their patio courtyard. It celebrates the evolution of art over the past hundred years. This bold piece represents the graffiti art style!I was allowed to photograph these works of art being created on Saturday (the day before the exhibit opened) in a hidden Spanish Village work area!This artwork represents the 1930s, when the Works Progress Administration provided artists with employment during the Great Depression.This work very loosely represents photorealism, a distinctly American genre of painting that originated in the late 1960s.This fun art in Spanish Village contains elements of steampunk, a sub-genre of science fiction that highlights 19th century Victorian and industrial themes.Visitors to Balboa Park look into a double kaleidoscope! This wildly colorful sculpture represents psychedelic art, which originated from 1960s counterculture.Here’s a photo I took after turning a dial of the kaleidoscope.I turned the dial again!These splashes of bold color are a tribute to Abstract expressionism, which originated in the late 1940s, the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence.Someone sits on a planter which contains artwork representing minimalism, a literalist movement that arose during the 1960s.This panel celebrates the Art Deco style with images of musical instruments popular during the Jazz Age.This creation for the outdoor exhibit represents Cubism, an early 20th century avant-garde movement, which revolutionized painting and other art forms.Dance through the Decades of Art enlivens Spanish Village! Painted pieces trace art’s history and development over the past 100 years.
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Close-up photo of one tile panel in a long mural, which is located on a wall near the Cesar Chavez Park playground in Barrio Logan.
Relatively few people know about a fascinating mural in Barrio Logan. Dedicated art and history lovers can find it at the very edge of San Diego’s beautiful bay, between the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal and the base of the Coronado Bridge.
The mural is located in Cesar Chavez Park, on a long wall just north of the playground. Created by Dale Marsh/Tile Artisans, it consists of eleven ceramic tile panels depicting half a century of local history–from the 1900s to the 1950s–through the use of vintage photographs. Images fondly remember the day-to-day life many San Diegans in this predominantly Mexican American neighborhood experienced while growing up and working on our busy waterfront.
A brief description of each panel is contained in a nearby plaque also composed of tiles. I’ve transcribed most of the words and have used them in my photo captions.
Looking north past the Cesar Chavez Park playground at an interesting public mural that depicts local history.Descriptions of the eleven panels in the mural, which depicts Logan Heights in its Golden Years, 1900 through 1959.Aztec Brewery Art Ensemble adorned the ceiling and walls of the Rathskeller and Beer Tasting Room of the brewery in the early to mid 1900s on Main Street.Hoop skirts, 1932 Model T car with rumble seat and white 1936 Ford, Metro Theater usherette twins, model parents of the era, neighborhood Rhythm and Blues bands and their followers.Papa Chuey founding proprietor of Chuey’s Restaurant cashed checks and provided credit accounts for fishermen and cannery workers in hard times.Nifty Fifties teen scene in “The Heights” spotlights Physical Education class, jitterbug dancing and positive socialization. Friendship was a true binding factor among teenagers.Tuna boats filled with tired fishermen arrived at the tuna canneries bringing work for hopeful dockworkers and cannery workers. Their arrival meant livelihood for countless families.This 1948 Cannery Workers group photo depicts the numbers and spirit of the work force of the various canneries of San Diego’s Cannery Row.The “Leona C – San Diego” fishing crew portray the faces of the hard working men who in turn provided for numerous jobs for entire communities.Logan Heights landmarks include the street car at 5 cents per ride . . . the beautiful earlier architecture of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and Las Palmas nightclub . . .Community social groups fostered a healthy and happy neighborhood where age gaps did not exist. Neighbors watched out for each other and provided a safety net for the youth.Teen social clubs such as Los Gallos, Los Chicanos and the Drifters comprised the Southeast Youth Council, which was sponsored by the Old Neighborhood House.Neighborhood House provided many community programs including Rondalla musical groups for women. Lupita, far right first row, is a legend in Logan Heights.
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Worker at parking garage construction site, which is right next to the Little Italy trolley station.
I was pleasantly surprised this morning to see some new public artwork at one end of the Little Italy trolley station. It’s part of the new parking structure that’s being built right next to the station.
I had to peer over and through a chain link fence, but the super colorful leaf-like art immediately tickled my fancy. Upon closer examination, the multi-colored ovals that form a dazzling mosaic appear to be impressed with different tire tracks. I guess that would be appropriate for a parking garage!
UPDATE!
I’ve noticed that a small plaque installed by the artwork reads:
David Adey
Inspiration/Expiration
2015
Ceramic
This parking garage, when completed, will serve both the nearby County Administration Center and Little Italy.Brilliant layers of new public art in San Diego. Forming a mosaic, these ovals appear to be randomly squished by vehicle tires with different treads.There’s some unusual new artwork at the Little Italy trolley station in downtown San Diego!
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Three bronze fishermen on Shelter Island together reel in a large tuna.
A monumental bronze sculpture in Shoreline Park on Shelter Island has become an iconic image. The Tunaman’s Memorial, by artist Franco Vianello, dedicated in 1988, honors the courage and hard work of generations of tuna fishermen in San Diego. The 9,000 pound sculpture depicts three individuals pole fishing from a boat of the once-large tuna fleet out on the Pacific Ocean. The history of San Diego’s tuna fishing industry contains generations of life stories. These unwritten stories involve fishermen who immigrated from many different nations, including Italy, Portugal and Japan.
One polished side of the sculpture contains names of fishermen who were pioneers in our region, and those who were lost at sea. An inscription reads: Tunaman’s Memorial honoring those that built an industry and remembering those that departed this harbor in the sun and did not return. Anthony Mascarenhas.
The Tunaman’s Memorial on Shelter Island is a 9,000 pound bronze sculpture honoring generations of diverse fishermen.Tuna fishing in local waters was once a major industry in San Diego.Polished side of Tunaman’s Memorial contains names of San Diego fishing pioneers, and those who were lost at sea.This iconic sight on Shelter Island provides a glimpse back in history, at those in our community who worked the sea.
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Public art on display in downtown San Diego’s dynamic Horton Plaza shopping mall.
I made a cool discovery today! I was walking through Horton Plaza, downtown’s extremely unique shopping mall and popular tourist destination, when I noticed that some art was being displayed on a lower level. A sign indicated that Horton Plaza is showcasing the work of local San Diego artists. Great idea! Here are some pics!
The San Diego artist Beau Carney was born and raised in Southern California. He works with a variety of mediums.Some very colorful painted work by Beau Carney.Public art and other unexpected discoveries add character to a very unique shopping mall.Westfield Horton Plaza supports local artists. For information on how to showcase your art, contact hortonplaza@westfield.comA few early evening visitors to Horton Plaza mall in downtown San Diego walk past cool artwork created by a local artist!One last photo of eye-catching panels by local San Diego artist Beau Carney!
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A human connected to technology in this new public art mural. Park it, charge it! The seven-story parking garage is located at 707 Broadway. This photo was taken from 7th Avenue.
During a walk several days ago my eyes lifted with surprise at a very cool new sight. An absolutely gigantic mural has appeared downtown, on the seven-story parking garage located at 707 Broadway!
A quick internet search revealed the identity of the creative person behind this public artwork. Christopher Konecki of Cohort Collective is a self-taught spray paint artist whose work can be seen elsewhere in San Diego, including nearby at SILO in Maker’s Quarter. This particular piece, which was finished a couple weeks ago, is said to be the largest mural in San Diego. The wildly imaginative, cartoon-like design is meant to convey the intersection of evolving communication technology with art and personal human experience.
These photos proceed from the west side of the parking garage, to the north, and finally to the east. You can see just how colorful and amazing this art is!
The huge cool mural wraps around the parking garage. I see a hot air balloon, phonograph, radio tower, satellite and various buildings, all interconnected like a circuit.The artwork engages the eyes and mind with its detailed composition. Two clusters in the image are connected by the Coronado Bay Bridge.Moving around toward the brightly sunlit east side and 8th Avenue. The high mural is viewed beyond some trees.The parking garage adds its color to the adjacent building’s futuristic graphic, at 707 Broadway in downtown San Diego.And finally we are on the east side of the parking garage. Very cool!
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Dancers in the fountain at San Diego’s Waterfront Park reach skyward during the Trolley Dances.
This morning I caught the very first performance of the Trolley Dances. The venue for the first stage of the Trolley Dances in 2015 is the County Administration Center Waterfront Park–to be exact, the long fountain on the north side of the County Administration Building.
When I arrived, a group of dancers was rehearsing and a videographer was setting up near the end of the fountain where the audience would watch. After a few minutes, the first mobile audience arrived, and I enjoyed a cool performance. And I mean cool. It was a water dance! On a very warm and muggy morning, I wouldn’t have minded rolling through and leaping about the refreshing water, either! But, alas, nobody who is sane would pay even a nickel to watch me dance.
The Trolley Dances is a unique tradition in San Diego. Put on by the San Diego Dance Theater, the outdoor performances occur in often surprising public places. Those who watch get started every 45 minutes, traveling from one site to the next on foot and by public transit. This year, groups travel from the Waterfront Park to Balboa Park, taking one of the new MTS Rapid buses from Santa Fe Depot.
Anyone in San Diego who loves dance must check out the Trolley Dances. Performances continue throughout the day on Saturdays and Sundays, September 26 – 27 and October 3 – 4. More info can be found on their website.
Rehearsing and getting the video camera ready before the first Trolley Dances mobile audience arrives at 10 o’clock.A beautiful venue for a dance. Palm trees along the Embarcadero and San Diego Bay provide a perfect stage.Dancers rehearse the very beginning of the performance, which involves rolling out through the shallow fountain.They’re rolling! During the summer, many tourists and visitors love running through the water. On such a warm morning, I almost jumped in myself!This nice lady saw my camera and provided a super smile!Stephan Koplowitz, an award-winning director and choreographer provides the dancers with some final advice before the first audience arrives.And here they come! Guides with Trolley Dances signs lead the way to the first unusual outdoor dance site.The dancers are lying in the water as everyone trickles in and finds a place to sit or stand.The first audience is ready! Here we go!Slowly rolling…OH, NO!!! A child playing in the park nearby is heading out to join the dancers! Horrors!The young child is intercepted. I’m sorry, but this to me was the highlight of the performance!The dancers rise up as individuals, like living things emerging from primordial waters.Some still lay flat on their backs, moving their feet as if coming to life. The dance was very organic, and very watery!Rising up from the liquid into freedom and boundless space.The free form dance was a very cool spectacle that everyone should enjoy.Now the dancers rise in unison, plunging forward, swirling, alive!Dancers from San Diego Dance Theater provide wonderful entertainment on a sunny weekend day!Clusters of dancers merge, writhe, change shape, like strange newborn beings experiencing life for the first time.This artistic group seemed to be evolving, ascending into the world.Flying skyward through the fountain!More beauty and mystery, as the dancers slowly spread south, away from the seated audience.Another dynamic photo.The dancers are now clearly moving away from the audience, pushing out into the broader world, over this bridge.It is a shining, watery path that passes through many splashing fountains.Moving outward, away, slowly, with poise.Beyond white curtains of water, away, into the unknown future…And the stunning performance is over. The dancers paused and bowed, as the mobile audience drew up beside them and applauded.
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Molded plaster figure of Saint Junipero Serra at top of the California Building’s facade in Balboa Park. The Museum of Man occupies this landmark building. The ornate facade contains many sculpted historical figures and busts created by the Piccirilli brothers, famous marble carvers who immigrated from Italy in 1888.
Today, during Pope Francis’ historic first visit to the United States, Junipero Serra was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. Father Serra was declared a saint by the Holy See at a ceremony conducted by Pope Francis at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
Saint Junipero Serra played a large role in San Diego’s early history. The Franciscan friar established the first nine of 21 Roman Catholic Spanish missions in what today is California. The very first of those nine, founded on July 16, 1769, was located in San Diego. The primary purpose of the missions was to convert the native peoples to Christianity; another purpose was to solidify a claim over this valuable corner of the New World for Spain.
The Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá is located in Mission Valley and remains to this day an active church. It’s popularity as a destination for tourists and the faithful will likely increase with the canonization of Serra.
Because of Saint Junipero Serra’s historical importance in San Diego, many images of him are found throughout our city. Some of the most prominent and well known representations can be seen in Balboa Park. The park’s Spanish Colonial Revival Style buildings created for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition include lavish ornamentation, with many illustrations of people and scenes important to San Diego history.
The following notable bits of art in Balboa Park depict Saint Junipero Serra during his time in San Diego.
Ornamental art on Balboa Park’s Casa del Prado shows Saint Junipero Serra holding a cross among Spanish soldiers and native peoples in what today is California. In 1769, San Diego was part of Alta California in the Province of Las Californias in New Spain.More artwork seen on Balboa Park’s historic El Prado shows Franciscan friar on a horse near the Mission San Diego de Alcalá, which was built near the San Diego River, several miles inland from San Diego Bay.Junipero Serra Memorial, created in 1914. Staff plaster original ornamentation from the Food Products Building, of the Panama-California Exposition. This elegant work of art was preserved and is now located in the Casa del Prado’s Sculpture Court.
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A portion of the elegant Pearl of the Pacific, by artist James T. Hubbell.
On the southwest end of Shelter Island you’ll discover some wonderful public art titled Pearl of the Pacific. Benches, a soaring sculpture, and a circle of colorful tiles arranged around a pearl-like bubbling fountain celebrate the diverse nations of the Pacific Rim. Local artist James Hubbell and a group of architectural students worked with artists from San Diego’s sister cities Vladivostok, Russia, Tijuana, Mexico and Yantai, China, to create this very cool sight. The central mosaic of tiles, pointing north, south, east and west like a fantastic compass, includes images that represent the sister cities. Pearl of the Pacific pays tribute to San Diego’s cultural and economic relations with peaceful neighbors united by the ocean.
I’ve already blogged about several of James Hubbell’s works of art around San Diego. You might enjoy seeing his Pacific Portal, Sea Passage and Pacific Spirit.
Gazing south past Pearl of the Pacific toward the channel that leads from San Diego Bay to the ocean.At the southwest end of Shelter Island, a circle of colorful tiles is arranged about a large pearl.The central pearl is a fountain that bubbles with water. It wasn’t running the day I took these photographs.Pearl of the Pacific Park plaque describes tile images and their meaning.North. An inspirational American bird.South. The mythical Quetzalcoatl of Mexico.West. A Siberian tiger from Russia.East. A dragon representing China.Plaque reads Tijuana, Mexico.One column contains a pearl-like globe of shining blue tiles.A soaring sculptural arch made of beautiful ironwork.A bench in the small park-like area is topped with more colorful tiles.Another artistic bench. This is a good spot to watch sailboats and ships on the nearby water.Bits of sea shells, broken pottery and cultural motifs in a curving concrete wall.Pearl of the Pacific pays tribute to San Diego’s ocean neighbors and sister cities.
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The Earth and a crescent moon. One of 26 terrazzo inserts arranged in a circle at entrance plaza of the Balboa Park Activity Center. Created in 1999 by artist Joyce Cutler-Shaw.
I recently enjoyed looking at some very cool public artwork. Located in front of the Balboa Park Activity Center, The Circle and the Self: A Picture Story by artist Joyce Cutler-Shaw is a series of images that tells a unique story about human activity and sport. Twenty six terrazzo inserts are arranged in a circle on the building’s south plaza, within a large tile map of the western United States, which was designed by another artist Raul Guerrero. I took a close-up photo of each terrazzo square and show them in sequence. That way you can easily follow the artist’s narrative, and the thought-provoking transformations.
The gymnasium-like Balboa Park Activity Center is where many San Diego residents go to participate in badminton, table tennis and volleyball. Similar artwork by the same artist can be found inside the building. Seventy two laser-cut metal plates depict the bodies of athletes engaged in sport, in many different, often imaginative environments.
Human figure poses beneath the slender blue moon. That moon will transform as the narrative moves counter-clockwise around the circle.Reaching up toward the ring-like moon. Striving toward hopes and dreams.After grabbing hold of the ring, and another, a gymnast swings through space.This outdoor public art titled The Circle and the Self tells the story of human athletic pursuit and competitive sport. Each tile measures 16 by 16 inches square.Planet Earth seems to transform into a ball. Is it a tennis ball being served?Here’s a planet-sized ball swooshing through a cosmic basketball net!Perhaps that ball is a round blue moon orbiting the Earth.A player tosses the ball toward the net.This fun artwork causes the curious viewer to actively walk around the large Activity Center patio. Now that’s true kinetic art!A ball and net, half light, half shadow.A competitor leaps!Another figure aims to shoot the ball.Is this an Olympic athlete engaged in shot put competition?The circle is a common image in sport. A sphere moves and bounces equally. The playing field is level.Is that a flying ball and baseball player?Here comes the ever-changing blue ball!Getting ready to catch the ball–or is it the Earth moving through space?Dynamic artwork shows human physical activity while traveling along life’s circle.Is this man playing handball?A blue ball on a stick. What sport is this?Perhaps this ball is about to be served in table tennis.The magical blue ball suddenly grows!The blue circle now seems to be a lake inside the contours of an ocean coast.As scale is altered and perspective changes, ocean and coastline become the planet Earth once more. Other blue circles are heavenly bodies throughout the universe.Our big blue marble is third planet from the sun. It has its own small orbiting moon.The viewer of this art has returned to the beginning. We’ve come full circle.The Circle and the Self by Joyce Cutler Shaw, 1999. City of San Diego Civic Art Collection. Commissioned for the citizens of San Diego.
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Cool San Diego Sights! 