Public Art – A Rich North State Resource That’s Always Open

Public art is all over the North State and always open to enjoy and spread inspiration. It can tower 50 feet high or be a painting on a sidewalk. Its shape can be abstract or realistic (or both), and it may be cast, carved, built, assembled or painted. It can be site-specific, blending in seamlessly with natural landscapes, or it can stand in contrast to its surroundings.

How public art ends up where it does is as varied as the art itself.  It can be commissioned by a business, curated through city or government art commissions or by private parties wanting to enhance their communities. Plan a day or two to take a stroll in your downtown or drive to a neighboring community to go on an art hunt. Once you start looking for it, you will find it all around you. Here are some notable north state public art installations to get you started.

Vincent Sacco with one of the colorful murals he designed at The Market in downtown Redding.

Redding’s Sculpture Park, Market Street Murals and Turtle Bay Art

On the grounds of City Hall in Redding, Sculpture Park has a mixture of permanent and traveling works of stone, metal and Mosaiculture art displayed along a winding trail. They are the brainchild of  the City of Redding’s Art in Public Places Committee, which was formed in 1998 to find opportunities to add public art to city projects.

Vincent Sacco, a brand strategist and visual designer, is the creative force behind Redding’s Market Street murals, a vivid homage to the history of the city. The seven murals, painted on the sides of Redding’s new Market Center at 1551 Market Street in downtown, are based on Sacco’s stencil designs and “capture a little bit of everything — the outdoors, fishing, culture, the Sundial Bridge,” said Daniel Knott, executive officer of K2 Development, which developed the Center. The Market Center’s mix of shops, restaurants and affordable housing is the centerpiece of a revitalization of downtown Redding.

“Vincent and his team spent some time in Redding, meeting with the historical society and other groups to research the history and culture of Redding,” Knott said. “The bright, vibrant colors in the murals were selected to stand out on the bright, sunny days of Redding.”

A section of the Mosaic Oasis in the Children’s Garden in the McConnell Arboretum & Gardens in Redding.

Outside Turtle Bay Exploration Park, in Redding, you’ll find the Monolith. Turtle Bay commissioned Buster Simpson to creatively engage with the aggregate plant that stood on the grounds and commissioned this piece. Simpson saw the historic relic as both a ready-made sculpture and a monument to the people and place and developed conceptual installations using utilitarian materials to tell those stories.

Cross Turtle Bay’s Sundial Bridge, which can stand as a work of art itself, and stroll to the Children’s Garden to see Mosaic Oasis, a seating area and fountain by local mixed media artist Colleen Barry. With this work, Barry highlights recycling by an adaptive reuse of donated materials.

(left  to right) The McDowell family — Laura,  Sadie Jean,  Teadora and Quin — in front of one of their favorite spots, the Peace mural in
Mt. Shasta. As owner of Sis-Q’s Guide Service, Quin is a great resource for finding public art in the North State.

Artists share their vision in Mt. Shasta, Red Bluff and Chico

Sometimes art installations are the creation of a determined artist wanting to share a vision.  That is the story behind the Peace Mural in Mt. Shasta.  Donna Bringenberg was inspired to share a vision of peace with her community. Through the Siskiyou Arts Council and with the help of artist Jenny Reeves Johnson, who oversaw the art project, the mural took shape over four years. More than 250 community members helped over the years. “There were some obstacles but there were some magical moments that outweighed them.” The Peace mural was unveiled in 2007 and has beckoned visitors at the Chamber of Commerce (300 Pine Street) ever since. When you visit, look for the word “peace” in many different languages, including  braille.

Art Alley was started in downtown Red Bluff between Antelope and Pine Streets by the Tehama Creatives, a collective group of artists and creators that saw a need to bring art out into the community. Their vibrant murals inspired commissions from other local businesses, and they continue to look for public spaces to enhance. Visit Tehama Creatives on Facebook and Instagram.

Walking around downtown Chico, you would be hard pressed to miss the large and vibrant murals of local artist Jed Speer.  Speers’ installations can take anywhere between two weeks to two years from initial commission and concept to the final wall.  “Growing up in Butte County I didn’t see a lot of art that inspired me. After visiting cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles and seeing lots of large-scale murals that were so vibrant, it inspired me to bring that home,” says Speer.

Chico spreads the love by way of murals and more.

Murals, statues, outdoor sculpture walls and a giant olive

Explore Butte County has wonderful guides to exploring art in Chico and Oroville, including murals depicting the history of the region, art installations like the Hands statue outside Chico City Hall, and the wall of faces on Chico State Campus.

Sometimes an art installation can seem to come out of nowhere, like the Olive Sculpture in Corning, a 15-foot-tall olive built of adobe and skewered by a toothpick of stainless steel. The sculpture is at the intersection of South Avenue and Hall Road, in the corner of a Sevillano olive orchard owned by the DeCamilla brothers. The brothers commissioned Sacramento-based artist Chuck Owens to create the sculpture in recognition of Corning’s moniker of “Olive City.” Visit the olive at 3749-3731 Hall Road

Public art can express community values, enhance the environment, transform a landscape, and much more. With the weather warming up, go out on an adventure and look for public art. You will be surprised at the art that is all around you.

Corning’s giant olive is a great photo op.