Monthly Archives: Community Art
The Shuttlecock public art installation outside of the Nelson-Atkin's Art Museum in Kansas city

The Power Public Art Installations Has On Your Community

Public spaces and marketplaces are incredibly vital in every community. Without them, our communities would be dull and without character. One way cities and towns strive to build an engaging public space and drive people towards marketplaces is through public art installations. Art plays a critical role in the beautification projects, and further builds an identity unique to the cities and neighborhoods they reside. 

Whether you’re a community space or a company, we believe you have a story. At EG Structural, it is our mission to bring it to life. We’re founded on the principle that functional public art can exhibit the incredible identity behind the communities and commercial properties where they stand. The power public art has on our communities is tremendous and that is why we’ve made this article – to highlight how it enriches our communities and drives our economy.

Public Art Installations Promote Interaction

According to Marquette University, public art is usually based on “shared meanings between the artist and the community, and consists of actions or works executed on behalf of the community as a whole”. This allows the community to create symbols associated with their spaces, creating an enjoyable and valuable experience for people who interact with the installation. 

Look at public art installations like The Cloud Gate in Chicago or the LOVE sculpture in Philadelphia. These installations are highly interactive in the fact that they attract locals and tourists to engage with them. If you ever visit these incredible sculpture pieces, you’ll see thousands of people a day taking photos of the art, tour guides explaining their meaning, and admire its sheer magnificence. 

Public Art Captivates The Youth of Our Community

Another way public art installations play a critical role in our community’s prosperousness is by connecting with the youth. Engaging them has several benefits. One is that it brings adults into the picture and influences them to engage with the art and area as well. The other is that it builds an identity and appreciation for one’s neighborhood and city early on.

An employee of EG Structural who grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, reflects on one of the city’s most popular public art installations, “one of my favorite sculpture pieces is easily the Shuttlecocks in front of the Nelson-Atkins Museum. As a child, it captured my imagination and was always a must-see when I’d walk through the park. Now that I am an adult I look upon the art fondly and every time I think of them, it’s like a trip back to my hometown.”

Public art installations are an incredible tool to build appreciation for one’s home. As seen by our employee, it allows us to reminisce and transports us back to the places we love. As public artists, that’s something we strive for in almost every project we undertake. 

Public Art Installations Provide Social Value and Placemaking

As its name suggests, public art is uniquely accessible to almost all community members and passersby. It enables people to experience art in their daily lives and drives engagement. It encourages people to pay attention and perceive more deeply the environment they occupy. Also, public art stimulates learning and thought about our society and what it truly means to be part of a community.

Additionally, public art installations promote collaboration. The process typically asks the artist to collaborate with many community members throughout the project’s development. As a result, it builds a sense of shared ownership and collective connection to the sculpture piece. It becomes more than just a large-scale art project, it becomes a community energizer. 

EG Structural Forges Ideas into Reality

The foundation of every large-scale art project is the desire to craft a story through visual design. Public art installations call for a strong vision, well-executed design, and experience custom fabrication to turn ideas into reality. At EG Structural, it is our mission to create private commission sculpture pieces that reflect the beauty and uniqueness of the areas they reside. Contact us today to learn how you can benefit from public art.

EG Structural's creative wayfinding signage for Albuquerque Route 66 signs

What is Creative Wayfinding and How Can It Help the Public?

Navigation is fundamental in our daily lives. This is especially true when visiting new cities and large businesses as it makes it easier to understand where you need to go. One way municipalities and businesses ensure easy navigation is through creative wayfinding. It’s an incredible resource that guides you to your desired destination. Many organizations are using wayfinding signage to highlight their unique identity. As a result, the signage acts as a functional piece of art that benefits tourists and citizens. 

At EG Structural, we’ve designed several creative wayfinding pieces, such as Mesa del Sol and Albuquerque Route 66 signs, to enrich the community experience. Learn how wayfinding can play a critical role in reaching your organization’s goals.

Creative Wayfinding Helps You Stand Out

We interact with wayfinding all the time. You’ll find them in grocery stores, retail shops, roadways, airports, and much more. The purpose of wayfinding is to get you from point A to point B as directly as possible. If the planning, design, and implementation are developed appropriately, users will be able to make an educated directional choice. However, this is not achieved without the expertise of a designer.

Moreover, there’s huge potential to create signage that informs, but it stands out. This not only creates a unique identity for your brand and community but also gets eyes on the sign. As part of our Mesa del Sol project, our goal was to effectively guide users to their destination with a complementing theme. That theme includes the surrounding natural plant life and the area’s modern architectural design. As a result, our creative wayfinding signage added another level of identity to the area. 

It is Signage That Offers a Helping Hand

Think about all the times you’ve taken a trip somewhere you’ve never been before. Remember how you might have missed that turn in Albuquerque or kept driving on that long stretch of road? The whole purpose of wayfinding is to help you avoid these situations.  Nightingale said it best: “The goal is not to herd people but to encourage successful exploration”.

There are so many destinations people can visit, with many possible routes they can use to get to them. A lot of people take wayfinding for granted when driving in a new area, but a lot goes into the signage. For instance, we had to follow strict guidelines set by the Department of Transportation to construct our Albuquerque Route 66 signs. We had to adhere to regulations such as:

  • Use specific fonts and font sizes
  • Use a specific size for our arrows
  • Make the signs reflective so drivers can effectively see them at night
  • And much more

While we faced these challenges during the design phase of the project, we were able to adapt. These constraints allowed us to design something that’s equally attractive as it is functional. As a result, we put a spotlight on the city’s historic stretch of Route 66 while creating helpful navigation signs for passersby. 

Creative Wayfinding Serves Small Communities

When we constructed the Mesa del Sol signage, we made sure it can be easily adapted to the community. We made it so the client could change the destinations on the signs in the event a business is no longer there.  We knew we had to create something to make it easier for our client to adapt their signage to new community additions. 

One of our goals with Mesa del Sol was to inform users of the businesses that are there. Wayfinding is a valuable tool for communities, as it highlights the businesses in the area. Moreover, they inspire people to explore and engage with the community.  We develop each of our signs to invoke a strong emotion and generate interest in the area. 

EG Structural Are Creative Professionals on a Mission

For over 25 years, EG Structural has been on a mission to create private commission work that evokes a response from community members. Whether we’re developing creative wayfinding designs or large-scale sculpture pieces, we always look for ways to shine a light on our clients’ identities. Contact us today to learn how we can highlight your unique background.

Cloud Gate or "The Bean" in Millennium Park in Chicago with visitors looking at the large scape public art

3 Incredible Ways Public Art Beautifies and Unifies Your City

One of the most effective ways to beautify and build pride in a city is by incorporating public art installations into your infrastructure. More and more cities are trying to figure out how to generate interest from locals and out-of-towners. As a result, they’re turning to artists and custom fabrication professionals to develop engaging public art pieces to revitalize areas and encourage tourism. 

Urban renewal, green spaces, public art, all are becoming critical strategies in the town’s revitalization initiatives. At EG Structural, we’ve assisted municipalities in developing large-scale art sculptures that become a part of their beautification plan and a part of their identity. Here is what we’ve seen with the projects that we’ve been a part of.

Public Art Can Build a Public Identity 

One of the problems many cities are facing is the loss of residents due to their relocation. This can be caused by several factors, like the job market, livability, and the environment. But, another reason may be because of a lack of interest in the city itself. 

Public art has an incredible way of resonating with communities and enthralling resident’s attention. Oftentimes, public art installations incorporate elements that relate to the city’s history or attributes to evoke their emotions. When we began designing our Tulsa Route 66 monument we knew we had to incorporate elements that inspire perseverance. 

Take a look at other famous modern sculptures and how they reflect their city’s identity. When you visit ‘Cloud Gate’ or more commonly known as ‘The Bean’ in Chicago, it literally reflects what the city is all about. You can stare at it for hours, looking at the surrounding skyscrapers and Chicagoans hustling by. It’s designed to inspire you and reflect what the city is all about in a unique way. 

Art Can Build a Sense of Community

If you’ve ever paid a visit to Phoenix, you might have noticed the abundance of murals that grace the buildings downtown or brick fences in developing neighborhoods. These pieces have enabled artists to express their creativity while attracting people to these blooming cityscapes.

Whether it’s a large-scale art sculpture or mural, art has the power to bring people together. Additionally, it creates a welcoming environment that invites people to walk through the neighborhood and discover new art and sculpture pieces. Moreover, it invites people to engage with community members, local businesses, and feel like they’re a part of something bigger than themselves. 

Excite Tourism with Engaging Public Art

Think about it, when people travel, what kind of places do they visit? According to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the President’s Committee on the Arts, 35.3 million adults say art or a cultural related event influences their choice of destination. This creates a huge opportunity for municipalities to invest in public art installations to invigorate tourism in their cities. 

Once the public art piece is installed, communities can use innovative ways to encourage tourism towards their installations. Many cities are incorporating art walks, after-dark tours, and putting marketing towards their landmarks. Additionally, partnering up with local organizations creates unique opportunities for people to encounter art and engage with local businesses. 

Beautify Your Community With EG Structural’s Artistic Expertise

One of the greatest things a municipality can do in its beautification initiative is to partner with an artist. EG Structural develops public art installations that embody what a community is about and attract individuals to the landmark. Moreover, our work will grab the attention of out-of-towners and generate a new source of tourism dollars. We have a passion for public art, and fully believe it can set your city apart from the rest. Contact EG Structural today to learn how our founder and artist, Eric Garcia can help beautify your city.

A Large Scale Art Installation of a kinetic art sculpture

Kinetic Art Sculptures: Where Art Takes Life

If you remember back to your middle school physics class, kinetic energy is energy in motion. It’s a fascinating scientific principle that many people forget has a significant place in public art. These kinetic art sculptures evoke strong emotional responses due to their fluidity and strong design features. Additionally, businesses and government entities benefit from public enthusiasm – leading to higher tourist and consumer activity. 

EG Structural has a deep passion for creating public art pieces that recognize your unique identity. Kinetic art installations are just one specialty that we are capable of providing to ensure your brand is represented artistically and functionally. Our article below details what goes into a beautiful kinetic art sculpture and its impact on public perception. 

The Popularity of Kinetic Art Sculptures?

In the 20th century, the use of movement in art became a popular aspect of many prominent sculpture pieces. This art form is called kineticism and its popularity has not slowed down. Many private art commission sculptures adopt some form of kineticism due to their simple, but fluid design. Artists like Naum Gabo, Marcel Duchamp, László Moholy-Nagy, and Alexander Calder were prominent figures in the movement and inspired artists and sculpture lovers from around the world. 

What Goes into Kinetic Art Projects?

The magic behind kinetic art sculptures is not easy to come by. It takes a lot of energy and resources to ensure everything is in working order. Furthermore, just like with any large-scale art project, it takes a lot of brainstorming, designing, engineering, and custom fabrication knowledge to bring art to life.  

Building kinetic art sculptures is equally an art project as it is a scientific experiment. It involves designing pieces that when put together will move in unison. Depending on the artist’s design, it will incorporate different parts to power movement, like wind and motors. 

To design a kinetic sculpture, artists will painstakingly create each piece on paper or digitally. Then with the power of custom fabrication, these pieces will become reality and fit together to form the intricate design. When enlisting an artist for a private commission art project, businesses and municipalities should hire an artist or company that will:

  • Conceptualize and design a sculpture based on your feedback
  • Coordinate production, quality, and risk minimization throughout the installation
  • Coordinate with custom fabrication, transportation, and construction professionals
  • Make recommendations on proper sculpture maintenance

Kinetic Art Sculpture’s Impact on The Community

Public art adds enormous value to our communities by providing cultural, aesthetic, and economic vitality. Structures such as kinetic art have become an accepted aspect of urban design because of its contribution to the area’s identity. Additionally, it fosters a sense of pride and inspiration for residents and tourists alike. Simply put, communities without public art are a little less vibrant and people are less likely to feel pride in their city or business.

EG Structural Has a Passion For Building Timeless Landmarks

EG Structural is proud of every public art installation we’ve designed and constructed for our clients. We partner with skilled experts to produce quality relics that embody the spirit of the community it is built for. Whether it’s a kinetic art sculpture or a single standing structure, EG Structural is passionate about building large-scale relics that you and your community can admire for years to come. Contact us today to discuss a possible private commission project.

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