Client: City of Sacramento, Sacramento Office of Arts + Culture, Art in Public Places Program

Overview

“Uplift,” symbolizes a positive transformational change, implying metamorphosis and renewal of spirit. This project includes two 36.5-foot-tall sculptures flanking either side of Richards Boulevard at N 12th St, in Sacramento, CA. Each sculpture is created by two intersecting wing shapes, more than 11 feet wide, which form a self-supporting structural core. These metal sculptures sit on a six-foot square concrete base. Our work symbolically frames the city, with the arcs of the wings suggesting a view portal to the City of Sacramento and to the River District, with a shift of position. This gateway sculpture, on the scale of the site, can be viewed and appreciated from multiple locations, fostering multiple framing opportunities of the City and the River District. Made from pattern-cut weathering steel, these two sculptures feature a butterfly inspired theme and are illuminated at night by LED lighting. This project creates a northern gateway to Sacramento and landmark beacons for the newly redeveloping River District.

Goals

• To create a northern gateway to downtown Sacramento and a landmark for the redeveloping River District.
• To symbolize the themes of renewal and metamorphosis, as established by a concurrent public art mural project.
• To activate the corner for people on the roads, on the sidewalks and on the regional trail, addressing these many scales and viewing speeds.
• To make a statement both day and night with form, pattern and lighting.
• To build a durable, low maintenance sculpture at a high aesthetic caliber.

Process

This project is a collaboration between the artistic design work of Vicki Scuri SiteWorks and Alexandr Polzin, the structural engineering of Craft Engineers and the fabrication expertise of JunoWorks. Digital design, analysis, and fabrication allowed this team to work very closely in realizing this vision. This team worked in coordination with the City and its contractors to install these impressive sculptures at the intersection of two busy roads.