Bloom Exhibit Continues to Flourish Through the City, Includes River Walk Addition
April 18, 2021 - Downtown
River Walk’s Flowers in “Bloom”. For more information about the “Bloom” series, the River Walk Public Art Garden, and the Department of Arts and Culture’s Public Art Program, visit their website. Courtesy Images: Machina Cinema.
By Valeria Torrealba, Senior Reporter | San Antonio Sentinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- The latest in the “Bloom” sculpture series by San Antonio Artist Leticia Huerta was “planted” at the River Walk Public Art Garden near the intersection of Market and Alamo Streets in downtown San Antonio.
- In an interview with the Sentinel, Huerta reflected on the importance of celebrating and preserving nature, a message that she embedded with her flowers.
The latest in the “Bloom” sculpture series by San Antonio artist Leticia Huerta was planted at the River Walk Public Art Garden near the intersection of Market and Alamo Streets in downtown San Antonio. The City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts and Culture and its Public Art Division revealed the two new sculptures, both of which are designed to resemble the native wildflowers Yellow Columbine and Lantana.
The River Walk installation is the second installation in a series of seven, with the first located at the entrance of the Mud Creek Trail at McAllister Park. The project is a collaboration between Huerta and San Antonio based fabricators Wanderlust Ironworks. The radiant, oversized metal flowers are part of a collection created from elements that, up close, resemble larger-than-life bicycle parts. Each installation takes inspiration from its location and the native wildflowers nearby.
“These sculptures incorporate elements that resemble bicycle parts to reflect San Antonio’s numerous hike and bike trails,” said Huerta. “Bicycle parts also have a similarity to flower anatomy, so I use them to describe the native flowers of San Antonio, that are seen along the trails. I am very proud of this project because it is my first time creating large-scale, free-standing sculptures as a public art project, so this artwork was a huge leap for me.”
In an earlier interview with the Sentinel, Huerta reflected on the importance of celebrating and preserving nature, a message that she embedded with her flowers. Her career has reflected on the emerging climate change crisis, emphasizing on the beauty of nature and how the planet should not be taken for granted.
“To me, it’s about something that’s man made, but at the same time about nature,” Huerta said. “It’s a partnership that I hope we can get to. There’s an element of that, that we’re speaking about that and yet we’re using something that is totally man made — the sculpture, the steelwork, the welding — all of that that has really not much to do with nature, but yet it can be used to make a beautiful rendition of it, to celebrate it, to remind us that we don’t wanna lose this. I feel like I’m doing my part to talk about that, even if it’s in a subtle way. It reminds us how beautiful [the environment] is and how we need to share and take care of it.”
The Department of Arts and Culture partners closely with the City of San Antonio’s Parks and Recreation Department to enhance local parks and greenways with public art to increase neighborhood connectivity and create a visual identity and wayfinding for the selected areas. When completed in Summer 2022, there will be a total of seven San Antonio parks in which 18 “Bloom” flowers can be found.
Upcoming “Bloom” installation locations and dates include:
Apache Creek at Brazos Pocket Park - Spring 2021
Salado Creek at Eisenhower Park - Spring 2021
Salado Creek at Southside Lions Park - Fall 2021
Alazan Creek at Farias Park - Spring 2022
Leon Creek at Tezel Road Facility - Summer 2022
“The ’Bloom’ series is a perfect example of how public art expands the viewer’s mind in both artistic and educational ways, while also serving a real purpose,” said Department of Arts and Culture Executive Director Debbie Racca-Sittre. “‘Bloom’ serves as trailhead connectors and wayfinding markers and even a scientific purpose on the greenway and park installations with silver rings on the flower stems to indicate various water levels when San Antonio receives rain.”
For more information about the “Bloom” series, the River Walk Public Art Garden, and the Department of Arts and Culture’s Public Art Program, visit http://www.sanantonio.gov/arts.
Valeria Torrealba is an opinions columnist and public relations assistant at the University Star, a student publication of Texas State University. Email her at reporter@sasentinel.com