San Antonio’s Department of Arts and Culture has unveiled two new installations in the city’s “Bloom” public art series.
All “Bloom” sculptures citywide are created by local artist Leticia Huerta and are made from elements that resemble large bicycle parts. City officials said the artworks are inspired by cyclists and trail enthusiasts and native wildflowers found throughout San Antonio.
According to a release, the new oversized metal flower sculptures can be found at Mario Farias Park at 1012 Leal St. and Brazos Pocket Park at 800 Chihuahua St.
The release said the Farias Park flowers are four-nerve daisy and salvia texana; the Brazos Pocket Park flowers are mealy blue sage and Indian paintbrush.
When completed in summer 2022, the “Bloom” series will total 17 sculptures across seven San Antonio parks.
“This series showcases what is possible when our community joins together to shape public art throughout our city,” said Krystal Jones, interim executive director of the arts and culture department. “Each time you visit a ‘Bloom’ installation, you will be able to observe what flowers San Antonio residents love most in our parks and natural areas. I hope all of San Antonio is proud of these new outdoor landmarks, which are organic to each location and offer an authentic reflection of a place, nature and this moment in time.”
Existing “Bloom” series locations and flowers elsewhere include Eisenhower Park with cedar sage, greenthread and antelope horn milkweed; the River Walk Public Art Garden with lantana and yellow columbine; and McAllister Park with winecup, plains coreopsis and Mexican hat.
The final installations will be completed this summer, city officials said. The remaining installations include Salado Creek at Southside Lions Park with shrubby boneset, pink evening primrose and turks cap); and Leon Creek at the Tezel Road facility with wooly ironweed and Engelmann daisy.
“The Brazos Street Pocket Park and Mario Farias Park are great examples of how we can connect neighbors to our parks and trail system, offering them access to healthy recreational opportunities and beautiful public art,” Parks and Recreation Director Homer Garcia III said in a statement. “The 'Bloom' sculptures highlight the wonderful synergy between art, nature and public spaces. We’re excited to see the series continue to grow.”