#public-art

#public-art

Sand City sits just two miles from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, yet until this month, visitors couldn't spend the night in town. For decades, this half-square-mile town wedged between Costco and Highway 1 has been hiding in plain sight - a warehouse district turned open-air art gallery, where murals climb concrete walls and sculptors work in spaces that once stored industrial equipment.

My mind, though enfeebled by New Year's celebrations, was fine; I'd traveled to Queens to see Jeffrey Joyal's "my Life Underground" at Gandt. For this exhibition, the gallery left its longtime home in a basement for a column-laden miniature ballroom in a clinic up the block, complete with a wrought-iron chandelier and ghostly portrait hanging above the crown molding. Walking through the lobby to the exhibition room, I passed by an empty suggestion box entreating patients to "rate their therapist."

It's fair to say most of us don't think much about airport architecture when we travel. We're too busy making sure our suitcases are checked before the counter closes, our liquids are out of our carry-ons at security, and we reach the gate before boarding ends.

San Jose City Hall's plaza has seen lowrider shows, a huge EDM concert, protests and more. But it's never looked like it will Jan. 31 when 2,000 people are covering the plaza with illuminated umbrellas. It's part of a flash art event called Invisible Skies by artist Elizabeth Turk. The illuminated umbrella props will be illustrated with constellations, planets and other heavenly bodies.

The removal of San Antonio's rainbow crosswalks, which were originally installed in 2018 with the help of nonprofit Pride San Antonio, follows Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) October 8 order directing the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to remove "any and all political ideologies" from streets across the state.

We want to turn these iconic London black cabs into canvas for hope and help anyone struggling with their mental health as everyone deserves someone to talk to

The sculpture is formed as a continuous spatial loop that frames views and directs movement, producing a sequence of changing visual perspectives. Rather than functioning as an object to be observed from a distance, the installation is designed as an inhabitable structure that supports movement, sitting, and tactile engagement. The spatial configuration allows passers-by to move through and within the form, integrating everyday use into the experience of the artwork and positioning it as part of the public realm rather than a detached sculptural object.

Join the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation to celebrate the 2026 Hearts in San Francisco that support excellence in patient care and innovation at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. Each year, the Foundation commissions one-of-a-kind heart sculptures created by local artists. After the sculptures are displayed in San Francisco for the public to enjoy, each is auctioned in support of ZSFG.

When Cjay Roughgarden was crafting what would become the largest public art installation in Golden Gate Park's history, she sought inspiration from her favorite children's book. The Richmond-based artist and fabricator has long been captivated by the story of "Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent," a 1975 tale of an enormous maritime monster who is urged by a shark to sink a boat of civilians, but overcomes the peer pressure to save them from the dangers at sea.

They are credited with bringing creative inspiration to millions every day - a simple idea that has been copied in cities across the world. In 1986 the first Poems on the Underground appeared in Tube carriages, and both commuters and visitors to London have been pondering their meaning ever since. Transport for London will be marking the 40th anniversary of this "art for all" project with new works, poetry readings and displays of poems at London Underground stations.

Become a paid member to listen to this article As 2025 comes to a close, we take a look back at our top 10 stories that got the most attention this past year. Our most popular articles span the topics you care about most-from transit and art to historic preservation, film locations, and the hidden secrets of NYC. Enjoy our countdown and let us know what your favorite story was this year!

The small artworks are the calling cards of San Francisco artist DraINvader, who's on a mission to cover sewer drain holes with something worth noticing. "The idea is, every piece solves a real problem while adding something beautiful," he said. For the past several months, DraINvader has been steadily installing his pieces on city sidewalks. Each customized square plate features a 3-D printed image, such as a butterfly, a Day of the Dead skull or Star Wars' R2-D2.

Tracking down pandas from a 2004 art project. In 2004, artists made 150 panda statues that were scattered across DC as part of PandaMania, a public art project that captured the city's imagination.

The 100 metre long Falcon Road underpass runs under the railways to the eastern side of Clapham Junction station and is the only route north-south under the railways in the area. Despite how busy it is, it has long been a very shabby route, with two narrow pedestrian paths, walls lined with stained and broken tiles, and the floor covered in pigeon droppings.

Hello, New York! Hope you all enjoyed those beautiful, peaceful couple hours of snow this weekend, before, well, you know the drill. (By the way, reporting businesses and landowners who haven't shoveled their sidewalks to 311 doesn't make you a narc - change my view). In art-related news, the Whitney Museum announced the 56 participants in its 2026 biennial, which includes some familiar names from New York institutions - Enzo Camacho and Ami Lien, CFGNY, and Samia Halaby among them.

Bold blocks of color and chunky geometric forms define The Walala Lounge, Camille Walala's permanent public installation in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. Spread across the streets of the market district, the project transforms benches and planters into oversized sculptural steel , using saturated hues and graphic contrasts. Curated by justkids, the pieces work collectively to establish a visual cadence along the street, transforming moments of rest, waiting, and gathering into shared encounters with form and color.

Titled "Migration," the project marks the second phase of a broader cultural initiative that began with the landmark restoration of Harlem Renaissance sculptor Richmond Barthé's "Exodus and Dance" frieze. The restoration received the 2025 Moses Award for Preservation Projects from the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the 2025 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the Preservation League of New York State. The heritage walk honors the "Great Migration" and features 35 illuminated steel sculptures ranging from six to 12 feet high, spread across the 16-acre campus. The installation amplifies the voices, memories, and aspirations of Kingsborough residents while honoring the recently restored, monumental 8-foot-by-80-foot frieze, installed in 1941.

A community-inspired mural project aims to beautify and revitalize a neighborhood in East San Jose. Artists gathered for the East Side Stories mural painting festival Saturday, complete with a DJ and lowrider cars around Tropicana Liquors on Story Road. Muralists created images of the Virgin Mary, lowriders and Mesoamerican symbols on the liquor store's exterior walls. They also transformed the exteriors of Car & Truck Auto Clinic, East Hills Veterinary Clinic and Wash America on Story Road and S&S Market on Capitol Expressway. The festival, curated by 1Culture art gallery owner Andrew Espino, celebrated the heritage and traditions of immigrant cultures in the area.