It’s a project that is part artwork, part cultural tribute, and part safety improvement. A small army of artists is transforming one of Santa Barbara’s busiest intersections into an amazing piece of public art.
The asphalt art project is happening at State and Carrillo Streets in Santa Barbara. The crosswalk areas are now a beautiful shade of blue. There are stripes and block patterns in pink and yellow, almost like in an abstract artwork. But it's actually a reflection of traditional Mexican art.
"What we're installing here is a lot of patterns. Triangular geometrical patterns like I weave on rug pieces," said Eddy Jimenez, the project’s lead artist.
"I am a Oaxacan Zapotec rug weaver. I weave a lot of geometrical patterns that are sacred and special. We went from creating a digital version (of the pattern) to scaling them, to creating ten stencils to be able to apply those geometrical patterns. Now, we're actually applying the paint to those stencils and those patterns."
The location of the project and the theme are closely connected. The intersection is in the middle of downtown Santa Barbara’s Saturday Farmer’s Market. Much of the produce sold is the work of the region’s Indigenous communities. It’s a tribute to that segment of our local population.
"I come from Oaxaca, from a town called San Miguel," said Maria Dolores Lopez, one of the volunteers working on the project. "We bring with us the culture. We've been a part of this community for many, many decades. We are not only labor, but we are part of the fabric of Santa Barbara, what makes Santa Barbara so diverse and so rich."
"What a beautiful project," she added. "It's a good project to have this representational art (here) because of the farmer's market. A lot of the fruits and vegetables sold in the farmer's market are picked by the hands of people from Oaxaca. I think it's beautiful to have that kind of recognition for the farmworkers, the hands that feed us."
The project is being paid for by a $100,000 grant.
"We were shocked to receive the call from Bloomberg Philanthropies to be selected as one of four cities in the country to receive one of their asphalt art grants," said Sarah York Rubin, Executive Director of the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture.
"I do think we made a very special application. We focused on what's unique about our community, and centered the project on the space for the Farmer's Market, and the people who support the market, who you don't see, who are Mixtec and Zapotec, community members."
While the colorful project is part art and part culture, it’s also part safety.
"This is the first asphalt art project that the city of Santa Barbara has done," said Tess Harris, State Street Master Planner for the City of Santa Barbara. "It's a really exciting opportunity to see how artwork can help transform a space, and not just beautify the area. The curb extensions that are painted are allowing pedestrians to have a shorter crossing distance as they are crossing Carrillo Street at State Street. Asphalt art paint has been shown to reduce vehicle collisions with pedestrians and bicyclists by about 50%."
More than 200 people are working on the project, which is expected to take around two weeks to complete.
Irene Ramirez collaborated with Eddy Jimenez on the project’s design.
"It is absolutely fantastic to see something that you create digitally transform to a large-scale project with so many talented people working on it. Everything about it is everything I hoped it would be," said Ramirez.
While the project is far from complete, it’s already attracting a lot of attention.
"I think it's such a great way to exhibit Hispanic art and culture. The colors are so attractive," said Illiana Roselle, who was visiting Santa Barbara from Mexico City. Like many people walking on State Street, she paused to look at the work in progress.
The grant includes funding for the next two years to touch up the special scuff-resistant acrylic paint being used for the project.
Signs will be added when the project is completed, so people can learn about the project’s history and cultural significance.
