When You Were Young

When you were young is a project that would be done to raise awareness to people who live in areas whose integrity has been compromised by their elected representatives, and subject to neglect. The concept would be to print huge pictures of representatives and hang them in expensive and elaborate frames that would show the public the people who exactly represents them. Instead of using pictures they used for campaigning, baby pictures or pictures of the representatives would be hung. This would be to show the public, who might have feelings of anger, that these people who once innocent children too.


One example of an area that has not been treated fairly:
http://tinyurl.com/6nagxav

My hope is that this project will reach people and encourage them to get more involved in the community so that they can make their community a better place, either by participating in voting, or by writing letters to their local representatives.

-Samantha Lynn Ramirez

Urban Picnic

My inspiration for the “Urban Picnic” project is doing things out of the ordinary. As a kid I’ve always loved two things profoundly 1. Picnics and 2. Astonishing City Views. You can always experience a nice view of the sky horizon or a combination of trees, lakes, trails, and the city (at times) at the park. Depending where you live. I like to combine both things together to fuse concepts and experience a new subgenre of activity an“Urban Picnic.”

My plan is to make an available space for 2-4 people. So, therefore if each piece of sod is 16in (1ft 4 in.) x 24 in (2ft) and the average female in the US is 5ft 4in and 5ft 9in for males, then a 10x5 piece of sods will make a perfect rectangle to fit about 2-4 people. Putting lights around the designated sod area is good for warning cyclists or even pedestrians that there is a designated piece



of land that is unleveled with the rest of the ground surrounding it. Have the main piece be in the Pedestrian bridge but have other locations in order to see the city in an array of angles. “Different angles, different point of views, different interpretations, different atmospheres, different feelings.” The piece that would be located on the Whole Foods rooftop would be to feel the urban feeling on top of a building.

Materials:
The Materials needed would be sods of grass. Portable lights to put around the sods for night lighting. Signs for area designated for picnicking.

Locations:
The Main Location will be the Lamar Pedestrian Bridge. With a Length of 32 ft. it and an infinite width (according to my sod measures)

Other Locations include:

The Foundation on Castle Hill (W. 12th street)

The Whole Foods rooftop on (W. 6th street and Lamar)

Length is infinite and width for Whole Foods rooftop is infinite (according to my sod calculations)
 

This piece on top of whole foods rooftop is (20ft in length and infinite in width (according to my sod calculations)

Audience:
Mostly "Austinites", Food Lovers, Adventurous people. Food Lovers, Why? Because if you enjoy good food why not enjoy it in a good atmosphere? Adventurous people, Why? Because this concept about an "Urban Picnic" just expands in the idea of new adventures and explorations. Discovering a combination of ideas perhaps people never stopped and thought of.

Check out Urban Intervention Green Corner by Otto Karvonen and Jon Irigoyen!

Pure Imagination

"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men."

At first my idea was just a centrally-located super park...but since our ideas are supposed to be without the constraints of time, money, or any other sort of practicality I revised it to a centrally-located gastronomically pleasing wonderland; a lush jungle full of flowers, candy, trees, and pizza. An aesthetically enjoyable fantastyland called Gum Drop Gardens!

My inspiration for this proposal was the colorful and tasty and fun. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, written by Roald Dahl and first brought to the big screen by Mel Stuart, was a major influence. The board game “Candyland” was also in the back of my mind when coming up with this park. Lastly, the stereotype of Holland and the beautiful flower farms located there are a real-life inspiration. I think this installation would appeal to a very broad audience. Children and adults alike could enjoy it for its beauty and the escapism it provides. Too many pieces are for a small audience only, and many times they are intended for an educated, adult audience, I would like something that pleases a more general group.

The materials could be pretty varied, but some aspects are necessary. It would need an evergreen grass of some kind, so that it is perma-appealing to picnic and frolic in. This would probably also require an irrigation system due to our hellish weather. It would be lovely if some genius could develop a water recycling program for the park so that it is not constantly wasting water. Other than that it needs a variety of plants, candies, food, and trees. Large candy mushrooms are a must as are edible buttercups. There is a large variety of flowers that are perfectly safe to eat (though they not necessarily tasty) so I would like them to be in the park as well. I would like it to have rolling hills similar to the ones Maya Lin installed at the University of Michigan.

The location is somewhat flexible but it would need to be in the central part of town and accessible by public transportation so that it is welcoming to everyone. I really like the idea of living art in urban settings and I wish we had more of it in Austin. The area around 5th and Lamar is my idea of central and a great location. It would also be nice to put it on water, in which case Lady Bird Lake would be an excellent site. Replacing a strip mall or high rise with a community garden is a nice idea too. So it may never happen, and nutritionists may hate it, but at least it will live on in a blog post for a GenEd class.

"Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ-uV72pQKI

-Hannah

Keep Austin Weird...and Recyling

For my Public Art, I would like to propose recycling bins. While it is assumed everyone knows how to recycle (ie. Throw recyclable items into the bin), I want to make people want to recycle. By having the bins themselves attract the audience, it is my belief that these will encourage the action of recycling. Perhaps the trend will popularize by word of mouth as participants tell their friends or colleagues of a “cool place” to recycle. Something different I would like to incorporate is a meter or scale to give an incentive to the recycler. By this, I mean, for every item dropped into the proper reciprocal, the scale will increase towards a goal. For example, in the paper bin, the goal might be to save a tree and by recycling more and more paper, a tree will be saved.

I was inspired by seeing many efforts such as "More Art. Less Trash." to make artistic and visually appealing recycling bins to encourage people to recycle.

The location I wish to use is on 6^th street and Congress Ave due to its high volume of people daily and the ability to be creative in keeping Austin “weird”. There is a bus stop on the southbound side I wish to utilize for the expectation that many people will either board or get off at this stop when spending time on 6^th street. In order to capture the audience’s attention, the images I will use will be specific to Austin only. For these images, I wish to hire an artist who would have to compete with other local artists, and ultimately be decided by the people.

On the recycling bin designated for paper, I would like a portrait of Willie Nelson because of his importance to Austin.

For the glass, I want a portrait of bats because they have called Austin home for years, and the location is close to the Bat Bridge.

On the recycling bin designated for aluminum, I want a portrait of Leslie because everyone in Austin needs to know about him, and if they don’t know, then this could be a perfect opportunity to find out.

On the bottom of each bin, it will read “Keep Austin Weird”, and of course, the corresponding bins will be Keep- Willie, for his loyalty to Austin, Austin- Bats, because Austin is their home, and last, but not least, Weird- Leslie, for his contributions to Austin.

The materials I will use will be plastic. Plastic is what most recycling bins are made out of due to its ability to be almost 100% recyclable. In order to preserve the art and keep it authentic, I will place a shatter proof glass around all three bins as a whole, in order to protect the art while having the same visual aesthetic.

Gabryl

More Than Just A Bus Stop

My public art proposal was inspired by the numerous citizens in Austin who take the bus, ride their bikes, or walk to where they want to go. So what more of a perfect place to install a public work of art than at a bus stop? This bus stop would not just be one single art installation, but rather a collection of art installations changed monthly and created by local Austin artists. Each month, one local artist from Austin would have the opportunity to build on, around, and inside of a bus stop, making it their own creation while still maintaining a bus stop’s practical value.

Interchangeable panels on the sides, inside, and top of the seating areas could be canvases for these artists and give them the chance to have their art seen. Benches could also be transformed into amazing works of art given the materials of either steel or wood. Included with the art installation will be a short biography of the artist along with his or her contact information. The possibilities and usable materials are really endless, given the amount of talent found in this city. This art would not only be seen by bus users, but also practically everyone in Austin.





The bus stop on the intersection of Brazos and 6th Street is the perfect location for this project since it is in the heart of downtown Austin.



This project ends up benefitting a large percentage of Austin. Not only will it be an opportunity for an artist to display his or her work, but it also provides visual stimulation and appeal for an ordinary person going about their day.





-Sehaam Ahmed

Checkmate

After living in the on-campus apartments here at St. Edwards for nearly a semester, I came to one conclusion; they are extremely boring. After experiencing the intense drought from last summer, the apartments look even more depressing then they were the year before. I figured that this public art proposal project was an excellent way to do something about it.

The idea that I came up with is to have a giant checker board put in place behind the apartment office building. It would also include bastketball goals on two ends of the checker board. This way it would not be just a giant random checkerboard, but also not just another concrete basketball court.

The idea behind the checkerboard is that it would serve as a massive interactive tool to get the people that live in the apartments to get to know each (I still have not met my next door neighbors and its almost Thanksgiving break).

The checkerboard itself would be made out of square foot, hard-plastic pieces that fit together like a puzzle. They are extremely durable and would be garunteed to last many years as long as they keep their regular, minimal maintenance.

The checkers that would go along with the board would be light-weight wooden pieces that would be treated with a weather-proofing material so the sun, rain, etc. would have little effect on them.

Maintaing the checkerboard would be a hassle and nobody would ever volunteer to pick up the pieces, so it proposes an excellent job opportunity for students who are looking to make a little extra money.

The idea of having a giant checkerboard in the apartments is very exciting. I believe that people in the apartments would enjoy it very much and they would also get to know each other a lot better than they do now. At a reletively small cost, the potential benefits make it well worth it.

Concrete Tree Art Proposal

My Inspiration:
Impervious cover: “is the amount of land cover in roads, buildings and parking lots, and turf grass cover in a watershed and can seriously impact biotic integrity in associated streams” (US EPA).

Impervious cover affects humans: can lead to rapid flooding and due to runoff water, can contaminate water supplies. Naturally, water would seep into the soil and the soil would act as a filter for the water as it moves its way into the watershed. Natural areas slow the flow of water during heavy rains and the absorption process takes in some of the excess water.
The City of Austin did a study over 10 years ago that included estimated percentages of impervious cover in different Austin settings. I am focusing on downtown and the study indicated that the coverage is around 60%. Austin’s has grown substantially since this study took place: more development means more impervious cover (http://www.crwr.utexas.edu/).
A study by the State of Virginia states that hundred year floods can double in likelihood by exceeding impervious cover levels over 30 percent and they state that 15 percent impervious is ideal to maintain a healthy watershed (http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/documents/lrDEImperviousCover.pdf).

Impervious cover also damages animals on land and in the water. The water can be unhealthy for drinking due to toxins from roads and sidewalks, including litter and oil.
This is harmful for animals that live in the water for similar reasons.

So, my inspiration is decreasing impervious cover through sustainable development that allows enough greenspace for a safe water supply for humans and animals.

Determining my Location:
My proposed public art centers on impervious cover and all its implications, so its site is very important. I need an urban site with a lot of new construction and very little greenspace. I want to place my “tree” on a small plot of grass along a sidewalk that Austinites frequent. Downtown will be ideal for this and the plot of grass needs to be flat.

I found my site: 2nd St. and Guadalupe

Audience:

My audience will be the general public. Hopefully, this will include builders and city planners among the shopping foot-traffic. There will be a plaque with a brief explanation of my reasoning behind the proposed public artwork.

Materials:
Concrete: 5 cu.Yds. $75yd x 5 = $375
Steel: 2 tons. $560ton x 2= $1120
Welder: $250hr= $20,000

Total Cost: $21,495





Plans:
1. Get permission to use the space.
2. Buy materials.
3. Get a welder.
4. Make the tree. Approximately 18ft tall and 12 ft wide at it’s maximum. The trunk diameter should be between ¾’ and 1’.

The steel will be welded in the shape of the tree. I choose steel as a material because my research indicated it was strong enough to bear the weight of concrete. After the tree has been welded and bolted to the ground, concrete will coat it entirely. Last, the place will be placed.

by: Meagan Kaufman

Pit Bull Lover!

My art proposal was inspired by the event I attended this past weekend called the Texas Sized Pittie Pride to give a positive image of the dog's breed, the Pit Bull. This event was created by an association dedicated to this breed called Love-A-Bull. I was happy to attend this event because I am an animal lover myself. I agree on the fact that we can't blame and mistreat this breed for being mean. It is all about the responsibility of the owner. If a dog is mean it is not the fault of the dog but the owner. It doesn't have to do anything with the Pit Bull or any other breed of dogs. It all about the owner. What education he has been given to him so he is like that. STOP putting blame on the Pit Bull they are lovely!

My art proposal is to create a BIG Pit Bull statue surrounded by a BIG heart. The material will be bronze. It will put in front of the different animal shelters in Austin such as Austin Pets Alive or the new Austin Animal Center. As well as all locations related to the pets. It can be stores like PetCo as well as all the dog parks. The statue will be located near the entrance. So that the future adopters will be attracted by this statue before coming in. It will give a positive image and will show that all the animal lover workers are also supportive. They don't mistreat any kind of breed. Love your pit bull and show to others that they can be as nice as any other breed of dogs.

Created by: Margaux Tavernier

Introducing America To The Americans

I am particularly interested in the photograph, the roll of the photograph in American society, and it's nature of representation. So when I considered how a photograph may be incorporated into a work of public art, I immediately thought of the photograph as a sort of mirror in which we as Americans may peer intimately into our own society.

This has been done before, though under much more dire situations. During the 1930s the U.S. Government began the Farm Security Administration as an effort to combat rural American poverty. They hired 15 renowned photographers to travel the midwest photographing the American families living within the notorious "dustbowl." What they produced was an intimate and sometimes harsh window into the lives of the average American farmer in the 1930s. These images changed the public's outlook on the topic and helped rally support for the government New Deal. Most importantly the work is a snap shot of what is was to be an American. I believe that the concept of being an American has changed drastically since then. Situations for some have become just as dire, and for others the American dream has become a desert mirage.

What I would like to accomplish would be a modern rendition of the F.S.A.'s photo work in the 1930s. I would like to produce a window into TRUE American life and culture in our modern day and age. When the F.S.A. hired their photographers they didn't have digital cameras and computers. In our generation of America, nearly every man, woman, and child knows how to generally work a camera. So what I've done is taken the communal "Netflix" business model and applied it to documentary photography. From a central location I would mail a film camera to an American household. This would be a special 35mm film camera that has had it's wind feature disabled. They would basically have ONE shot and ONE question to answer, with that single photo they may shoot anything they please, as long as it answers a single important question:

"WHAT IS YOUR AMERICAN DREAM?

Once they are done, everything will be neatly prepared for them to mail it back to the central location, where I will personally wind the camera to the next shot and send it off to the next family. This would have to be something people sign up for ahead of time so that like minded and interested people are participating and expecting to receive the camera. Just like Austin's "Car2Go" service or "Netflix" everything should be intuitive ready to go with the least amount of work for the user as possible. Essentially they open the box, snap a photo, and mail it off.


Hopefully in the end, there should be a great community portrait of what it means to be an American in a modern 2011 society. The final work should be presented in a gallery format, preferably in a government public space. The American people will be able to view a collection images produced by the people themselves. The images will not be dictated by major media corporations nor any sort of financial interests. It will simply be a visual representation of the current state of our nation.

Gabriel Sanchez

Calder's Garden

I had the inspiration for this Public Art Proposal when I went to Atlant to visit my girlfriend 2 weekends ago. While driving around the city, I saw Calder's mobile in front of The High Museum of Art and decided to do something similar but that had to do with the environment.

For this project I decided to do a mobile much like as Calder's. However, instead of having plates in each arm's end, it would have "buckets." Therefore, when it rains, these "buckets" would collect the water from the rain and would irrigate a garden below through small holes inside of them. The structure would be centered in the middle of a circle with 8 meters of diameter and would be 5/6m tall with 2/3 meters arms. The circle would also be delimited with white rocks. In short, the structure would serve as a watering can to the garden. I had this whole water idea because Austin is a very warm and dry city and people are suffering with the lack of water. So after it rains, the buckets would be filled with water and will be able to irrigate the garden for a couple of days. By doing this, the plants will not suffer that much with the heat.

Materials:

The whole structure would be made of steel, including the "buckets," and would all be provided by manufactures. The "buckets" would be hung with steel cable so they stay in place and are not stolen. The garden below the structure would have flowers and plants typical from Austin. Therefore they will not suffer too much with the heat and with the small amount of water.

Location:

Regarding the location, I chose Zilker Park as the site for this work of art because it is a big and open space that receives a lot of people during the spring and summer seasons, which is when this work of art will be more noticed. So the audience for this work would be people running/jogging in the park and people hanging around, relaxing a little bit from the stressfull day of work. I also hope that poeple get some inspiration from this work of art. I hope people will stop and think about their water use and see that water is a scarce resource that we need to save for the future. This work of art will of course be a big structure, however, people may get inspired by it and create some smaller scale structures that they would use in their houses to give the used water another use.



Alex Bueno

EnLighting Forest

The inspirations form my work of art comes from Jeanne-Claude’s Gates project in central park. The idea behind my project was to create a work of art that would create consciousness and inspire people when it’s being admired.

The Audience for my proposed work of art would be people running, or walking around a park. This could be either people jogging, people walking their dogs, or people that’s just wondering around the park.

The location I have chosen for my project would be the ladybird lake.

This is a place I feel really connected and familiarized with. Has a great flow of people, so in this place the impact of my project would higher, providing me with a higher level of satisfaction.

For my project I’ll use modern outdoor lighting system. Aside from it I would design a modern lighting chair that would be connected to the lighting system that will control all the lighting for the park. For this project I would not be working with recycled material or craving carving some source of structure. Everything will come from manufacturers and I will only install these objects around the park. Although it will still be a work of art because it will send a meaning and will interact with its surroundings.

All the parts or lights I will be installing around the park will be composed of all sources of landscape lighting and this special chair I will be creating that will send messages to the public. Aside from that I will be installing solar panels all around the park so this work of art could be self-sustainable. .

The plan is to illuminate the park so that at nights it creates this atmosphere of an electric hunted forest. Aside from that, I would install this shinny jelly bubble in which people can sit and kids could play with them. At the button part of these bubbles I will install a small stock ticket displays that will provide with inspiring messages.

A few Examples of these messages would be:

Improvement: You vs. You

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare."

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it."

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're probably right."
-Henry Ford

YASSER HANDAL