Los Candelarias - Albuquerque, New Mexico

 

o  WEST ENTRANCE – LOS GRIEGOS COMMUNITY CENTER. This sculpture representing the Rio Grande River and the acequia irrigation system will be the primary focus of our work. It will provide an entry/exit marker to the Los Candelarias Village Center on the western end of the streetscape improvement project.

o  CANDELARIA ENTRANCE – JOHN BROOKS MARKET. Two freestanding sculptures will be sited at this location. This sculpture will be alongside a placita that includes a bench and shade structure that are part of the streetscape improvements.

o  WALLTOPPERS – NORTH SIDE OF CANDELARIA. Between 11^th and Otra Vez,  we are incorporating three sculptures into the cast concrete retaining wall that will add color, form and texture.

 

 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

In August 2003 we were chosen by a selection committee under the auspices of the City of Albuquerque Public Art Program as artist members of a design team for Los Candelarias Village Center streetscape improvements in Albuquerque’s North Valley. This project is to reconstruct of several blocks of Candelaria Avenue and 12^th Street.  Planned improvements include landscaping, medians, decorative sidewalk paving, shade trellises, benches, signage, and new retaining walls.  Images suggested by the history and environment of the neighborhood will be displayed throughout the project and on steel banners attached to utility poles along the street. We have been building on themes identified and developed in concert with the Los Candelarias Working Group and interested community members. Our sculpture maquette was approved by the Albuquerque Arts Board in March 2004. Currently (July 2004) bid documents are being prepared and the placement of our artwork will be coordinated with the general contractor’s progress on the streetscape construction.

 

Other design team members are: Laurie Roddick-Aguilar, ASLA of Roddick & Dunbar Ltd. and Robert Oberdorfer, RLA of Resource Technology, Inc. City of Albuquerque staff are Ralph Mims, Redevelopment Planner in the Planning Department and Karen Rudd, Associate Manager in the Public Art Program.

 

As members of this team we have designed six sculptural artworks that will be located along Candelaria Avenue:

1. A large stand-alone sculpture will be located at the entrance to Los Griegos Community Center. It provides an entry/exit marker to the Los Candelarias Village Center at the western end of the project.

2. On the north side of Candelaria between 11^th and Otra Vez we have designed three sculptures that will be incorporated into a cast concrete retaining wall adding color, form and texture.

3. Two freestanding sculptures representing grain crops will be located at the Candelaria entrance to John Brooks Market.

 

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

            The primary sculpture at Los Griegos Community Center (LGCC) will be a strong, colorful, vertical piece representing the river, mountains, and ditches. The height of this work will be 8 to 12 feet. Alongside it would be a small sculpture representing the crops that are grown in the valley – grasses, corn and other grains.

Sculptures at the other locations reflect the piece at LGCC but will be smaller and will differ in color and texture. The two sculptures at the Candelaria entrance to John Brooks Market will also be vertical elements, 6 to 8 feet in height, representing corn and grain. These will provide a variation on the smaller sculpture at the Community Center.

The walltoppers will rise 2 to 3 feet above the cast concrete retaining wall on the north side of Candelaria and are also variations on the river and crops themes.

 

MATERIALS

            The sculptures will be constructed of reinforced, cast-in-place concrete. Aboveground concrete will be clad with glazed stoneware tile we will design and produce specifically for these sculptures and this project. Tile will be made in a variety of colors and textures which will provide contrast from one sculpture to the next and add color to the artwork and streetscape. We plan to incorporate porphyry or other stone with tile on the bases and lower portions of the sculptures. Some surfaces of the walltoppers will be textured concrete.

 

 

 

BANNER & LIMESTONE TILE DESIGNS

At the request of the landscape architects and members of the Los Candelarias Working Group we developed images for rusted steel banners and limestone bas relief tiles which refer to the project’s themes of the natural environment, and agriculture.

We have prepared and submitted a set of drawings to the landscape architects for their consideration that include:

·      river valley landscapes with irrigated fields

·      acequia (irrigation ditch) headgate

·      corn plants

·      desert flora

·      lizard

Many of the designs have a similar structure, a sinuous curve related to the meandering of the Rio Grande within its valley.

 

We have suggested a banner shape that has one straight edge where it faces the utility pole and 3 curved sides. The steel banners are 42” high x 21” wide. The limestone tiles will have the same images as the banners modified to fit the square tile format. The line quality will be different because of production methods. Waterjet or plasma cutting will be used to produce the steel banners and sandblasting will be used to reproduce the images on the limestone tiles.

 

If the landscape architects choose these images, a full set of 5 banner designs and 5 tile designs will be used.