Past Public Art Projects
View this collection of public art projects that were at Arts District Liberty Station
Previous Installations at the Station
A Dime to Call Home
ARTIST: Michelle Montjoy
Installed October 2019 – October 2024
DESCRIPTION: A collection of sea bags cast in cement, revealing bits of soft clothing and “arms” knitted from nautical rope reaching up from each bag, this installation represents the transformations new recruits experience upon entering the military and its contrasts to home life. The artist would like to add a public engagement element to the installation by knitting on tabletop looms or casting a small time capsule of sea bags with school groups.
Afoxe
ARTIST: Brad Howe
Installed July 2016- July 2024
DESCRIPTION: One of America’s wittiest and most versatile makers of public art, a direct stylistic and spiritual inheritor of Alexander Calder and Joan Miro, a sculptor of broad formal range but consistently expansive spirit. Special thank you to Betsy Lane who played an instrumental role in helping Arts District Liberty Station LS secure this piece.
Fuji San
ARTIST: Jeffery Laundeslager, Encinitas, CA
Installed April 2011-April 2024
DESCRIPTION: The graceful kinetic pieces have been described as visual tai-chi. The artist’s work is in many private collections as well as numerous public sites. Special thank you to Betsy Lane who played an instrumental role in helping Arts District Liberty Station LS secure this piece.
Reflexion
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH: ArtBuilds
Installed June 2023- March 2024
DESCRIPTION: Mirrored columns and rotatable prisms create lenses into our perception. Amidst distortion and clarity, it empowers us to take control, change perspectives, and rediscover what’s overlooked. Multiple viewpoints help reveal the extraordinary and reshape the impossible.
Here Comes the Sun
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH: Sing for Hope
Installed August 1- September 1, 2023
DESCRIPTION: From the Bronx to Beirut, the Sing for Hope Pianos program is a global arts initiative that creates artist-designed pianos; places them in public spaces for anyone and everyone to enjoy; then transports and activates them year-round in permanent homes in schools, hospitals, transit hubs, refugee camps, and community-based organizations. Sing for Hope has provided more pianos for under-resourced public schools than any other organization in the world.
Sky Mosaic
ARTIST: David Krimmel, Normal Heights
Insalled April 2018- January 2022
DESCRIPTION: This 30’ x 8’ foot installation on an arcade rooftop walkway was created using 1,200 colored transparent tiles that “fluttered” in the wind. Inspired by the original tiles in Liberty Public Market, the piece cast colorful shadows depending on sun and season.
Rolling it Forward
ARTIST: Jeremy Nuttall, Poway
Installed July 2018- December 2021
DESCRIPTION: This structure represented a boat and rolling waves made entirely of community-painted skateboards. It built on the concept of “Pay It Forward” and required the support and involvement of the community to be completed through public painting events. The project referenced two important histories of San Diego both the Naval and Maritime histories along with the influence San Diego has had on the progression of skateboarding and the communities they connect.
Nikigator
ARTIST: Niki de Saint Phalle(1930-2002)
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH: Mingei International Museum
Installed July 2019- September 2021
DESCRIPTION: Mingei International Museum’s beloved Nikigator was moved from her original home while the museum was being renovated. The large-scale sculpture had been restored by Lech Juretko of ArtMosaic Inc., who assisted Saint Phalle with her later work. While on vacation at Liberty Station, Nikigator was truly enjoyed by guests and was returned to her native Balboa Park habitat in the fall of 2021.