To take us to the next step in planning and implementing artworks and beautification projects in Upper Downtown, the Arts & Beautification Committee is inventorying Upper Downtown arts and flora. We have divided Upper Downtown into 22 blocks. Our first focus is on the arts. In our Arts Inventory, for each block, our committee volunteers are recording all of the present artwork that is publicly available. For each piece we provide a brief description of the piece, the materials used for the piece, approximately where it is located on the block, the artist (if it is determinable) and any other relevant information we think would be helpful. We also note the condition of the piece and if it is in disrepair. So far, we have completed eight blocks.
Example. To give you an idea of what we are doing, here is an excerpt from our inventory for Block 1, which we have identified as Lawrence Street, from Speer to 20th Street.
Mural at Pacific Mercantile, between 20th & 19th streets on N side; Casey Kawaguchi – two murals one on facing Lawrence Street (2025) and on the right side of the building (2024); with grant from City Councilmember Chris Hinds’ office.
Metal sculpture on north side between 18th & 17th (office building that housing Gensler); artist is Kenneth Snelson, titled Soft Landing. It was probably done in the 1980s. He is world renowned but is now deceased. There is a park on the plaza next to the sculpture, which provides an opportunity to sit and take in the piece.
North side of the Hashtag mural (south side is on Block 2) Artist unknown; South side between 18th & 17th Streets.
DaVita-sponsored Art Utility Box on the South Side, between 16th & 15th. Artist is Bimmer Torres, Instagram: @_youngbeam.
What do we hope to learn? We will use the Art Inventory in the following ways.
- Identify where public art is concentrated in Upper Downtown
- Identify potential sites that would benefit from an art installation
- Identify what existing art installation might need some TLC
- Create self-guided art tours for Upper Downtown that we will make available at the UpDoNA website
What’s next? After the Art Inventory is completed, we will be taking a look at flora (trees, plantings, flowers, etc) on the 22 blocks comprising Upper Downtown. This will help us identify where our efforts need to be concentrated to improve the aesthetics of Upper Downtown.
Volunteers needed! We are always looking for volunteers to help us with projects, and this is no exception. Volunteering to review a block for our Art Inventory or Flora Inventory doesn’t require formally joining our committee. We could use volunteers for ad hoc projects like this. If you are interested, please contact Sal Tripodi at saltripodi@updona.org.
Attribution for all photos in article – Sal Tripodi
Attribution for thumbnail – Jackie Bunce
