Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation Showcases New Public Art at “Celebrating the Arts”
“Arts in August” Series Will Feature Diverse Artists, Art Forms Throughout the Month

On Saturday, July 27, The Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation showcased two new public art sculptures at Chollas Creek Park. The art pays homage to the Chollas Creek natural waterways and native plant and insect life, as explained by the artists at the Saturday, July 27 unveiling event called “Celebrating the Arts @ Chollas Creek.”

“We encourage San Diego residents, visitors and art enthusiasts to visit Chollas Creek Park and see our newest pieces for themselves,” said Jacobs Center President and CEO Reginald Jones. “We are excited to showcase the ways art and nature can combine and represent the San Diego region.”

The new public art pieces are:

• Artist Roman de Salvo’s “Chollas Realm,” two sculpted archways to the Chollas Creek Park featuring a lacy shape that maps out the Chollas Creek watershed
• Artist Deedee Morrison’s “Visualize Biodiversity,” a 10-foot LED light sculpture inspired by the shape of a barrel cactus that features laser cut-out patterns of San Diego’s pollinators, including bees, beetles, wasps, moths and butterflies

“The world-class work of the City’s Commission for Arts and Culture continues to impress by integrating artistic and cultural works into community life throughout San Diego,” said Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “These two art pieces beautifully integrate and celebrate Southeastern San Diego’s natural resources and biodiversity for all to enjoy.”

Jones, Assemblymember Dr. Shirley N. Weber, San Diego City Councilmember Monica Montgomery, Executive Director of the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture Jonathan Glus and City of San Diego Economic Development Director Lydia Moreno unveiled the pieces with a celebratory ribbon cutting ceremony.

“It’s been a pleasure to watch this gateway park come together and to help fund meaningful public art,” said County Supervisor Greg Cox, who recommended County grant funding for the archways. “Chollas Creek Park functions as a safe pathway for families, a venue to display public art and a haven to explore nature. The park fits a true need in the community.”

According to a 2018 survey conducted by Americans for the Arts, 72 percent of Americans believe the arts unify communities. Public art is an important part of the Jacobs Center’s Art + Design Plan and Activating Chollas Creek Plan, as it helps enliven the creek and create places where residents and visitors can enjoy the outdoors.

“Art changes lives. I applaud the addition of public art to the Fourth Council District,” said Councilmember Monica Montgomery, who represents this area on the San Diego City Council. “The Chollas Creek Park has become a beautiful and must-visit part of the neighborhood for families and young children.”

The next “Arts in August” event, “Be About It” on Sunday, July 25, is a collaboration between the Jacobs Center and Gill Sotu, a former artist-in-residence. An afternoon of entertainment about how to step up and volunteer in the community, the event will feature performances by 10 San Diego entertainers inspired by 10 local community organizations.

To view photos from the event, please click here.

“Visualize Biodiversity” is a collaboration between the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation and City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

“Chollas Realm,” a Jacobs Center Neighborhood Innovation project, was funded by Community Development Block Grant Funds provided by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development to the City of San Diego, National Endowment for the Arts, County of San Diego, Colonel Frank C. Wood Memorial at The San Diego Foundation, McGrory Family Foundation and Judy McDonald.