While traveling through Palm Beach Gardens, I noticed this interesting sculpture in front of Palm…read moreBeach Gardens Medical Center. Curious, I stopped to check it out. The name of this sculpture is Stent Tower. It was created by nationally recognized artist Mark Fuller, whose work has become somewhat synonymous with Palm Beach Gardens. Fuller is an environmental graphic and industrial designer. He created the glittery butterfly sculpture in Palm Beach Gardens and the obelisk at Legacy Place. He also designed the fish and lizard cutouts on the sound barrier wall along Interstate 95, a children's memorial sculpture at a Burns Road park, and the Fish Out of Water sculpture along the waterfront in West Palm Beach, along with many other pieces throughout Palm Beach County. Stent Tower is a 24-foot-tall sculpture of a heart stent filled with red and white blood cells. A stent is a tiny, expandable mesh tube that a doctor inserts into a clogged or weakened passageway in the body to help keep a vessel open so fluid can flow through it. It is a life-saving medical device frequently placed in arteries to allow blood to flow to the heart. To accurately create this piece, Mark Fuller took a behind-the-scenes tour of Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. The sculpture was installed in August 2009 and it is a powerful reminder of the lifesaving work being done at this medical center.

Bear Picnic is a public art installation by artist Diane Arrieta in the City Hall plaza between the…read moreMandel Library and City Hall. Arrieta is a mixed media, visual artist whose work focuses on how humans impact the environment and also on endangered species. All of her work is in yellow and pink. Arrieta was one of eight artists commissioned by the ArtLife WPB Committee to create public art works in the city that have a play theme. When coming up with an idea for her piece, Arrieta was inspired by the humorous "The Bruce the Bear" book by Ryan Higgins. From that initial idea she developed a piece that represents how animals, people, and the environment are all interconnected. The bears were purchased from a company that manufactured them as lawn ornaments. The bright yellow bears and the bubblegum pink baskets on picnic tables look playful but the piece also has a series conservation message. On the tables are printed facts educating the public that six out eight species of the world's bears are threatened with extinction and that habitat fragmentation, growth of cities and farms, logging, climate change, and pollution are all factors that are threatening the bears. Yellow signifies danger but it is also the color of the sun and of hope. The pink of the baskets represents calm. Arrieta hopes that the bears will draw people in and make them want to reconnect with nature. QR codes on the table take you to a conservation site so you can learn more about the bears. I was fortunate to see black bears in the wild in Tennessee so I loved the subject matter of this art piece. Stories of bears getting someone's house, car, or neighborhood are always making the news. As we encroach on their habitat, human and bear interactions become inevitable. This piece made me think about how as humans we are negatively impacting the bears and other animals. Seriousness aside it is also a great backdrop for pictures. I believe this is only a temporary artwork but I would love to see it installed permanently in the city.

Laps is a temporary art installation on the lawn at Old School Square sponsored by the Delray Beach…read moreDowntown Development Authority. There is a garage nearby and some limited street parking. Launched on June 22nd, LAPS consists of six, eight foot high lighted hourglasses that you can spin so the ping pong balls drop through to the other side. "The message of the installation is that because everyone gets to choose the time they want to spend at the exhibit, each is a keeper of their own passage of time." The LAPS exhibit was designed and created in Montreal, Canada in 2022 by Olivier Landreville, with sound and light design by Serge Maheu. Structure and engineering were provided by Maintenance Industries Meca-Fab Inc. The interactive installation is produced by Init and Creos. Prior to being displayed in Delray Beach, it was on exhibit in Montreal, Canada; Des Moines, ID; Ottawa, Canada; and Denver, CO. I love how interactive this art is. You really have to spin the wheel to get them to turn so you get a bit of an arm workout. Come see and play before time runs out on July 30th.

Frame Your Neighborhood is a series of four street art murals by artist Hector Diaz. Diaz worked in…read moreadvertising and as a graphic artist before turning to street art 25 years ago. He is now specializing in making anamorphic art. This kind of art changes, moves perspective, and morphs when viewed through a cell phone or app. First he takes an image into Photoshop, stretches and elongates it, and then paints it flat on the ground surface so that it comes together when viewed through a camera phone. I have seen this kind of art before with chalk painters at street festivals but this is the first time I have seen it done with murals. A circle near the mural tells where to stand to take the picture of it. The four murals Diaz completed for West Palm Beach Art in Public Places are in city parks and are meant to bring awareness to water resources and wildlife. Each mural is unique to its surroundings. The second mural was completed in Howard Park and it is of a gentle looking alligator next to the wetlands area where you might find a real alligator swimming around. It looks like the alligator is swimming in a pool in the sidewalk with lily pads and turtles. The mural was completed over two days using acrylic paint and then sealed. This small wetlands area at the north end of the park was once the Stub Canal and Turning Basin. It was large enough for barges that carried passengers and produce from Belle Glade to turn around in. Boat service started on May 17,1918. After a railroad line and highway opened in the 1920's, boat travel to fell out of favor and the 1928 Hurricane destroyed the boat docks. Now all that is left is what looks like a small retention pond with a fountain. Diaz decided to create this mural as a tribute to the history of the turning basin. I love alligators, nature, and photography and this mural brings together all three so this was a fun discovery to make in the park.

My East is Your West is a public art piece in The Square in West Palm Beach. The animated light…read moreinstallation sits on top of a building in The Square. The thought provoking piece was created by Mumbai-based artist Shilpa Gupta who is known for using technology and typefaces in her work which aligns with her interest in languages and contemporary communication systems. About her thought provoking piece, Gupta has said "My East Is Your West, based on an ongoing outdoor light installation, celebrates multiplicity where an individual can function within and beyond and even play with definitions. Through a series of objects, prints and moving images, my work will deal with the tension between the self, as a citizen, and the surrounding nation; their conflicting aspirations and desires for each other and themselves. Perception, time, location and construction of knowledge are overlapping interests that bring both the artists together, but we freely explore it from various tangents." Upon examining the art work it looks like a jumble of letters, WMYEIAOSUTR but then they light up revealing the title of the piece. It is meant to make the viewer reflect on social, political. and geographical boundaries. I had trouble understanding the piece until the individual words started lighting up. West Palm Beach has world class art museums and public art that fosters cultural discussions. My East is Your West is a welcome addition to the conversation.

I discovered this colorful public artwork at the entrance to the Spanish River Library. As part of…read moreBoca Raton's 100th anniversary celebration, the City unveiled Palm Trees Sway as part of its Plastic Poetry public art series. This Centennial initiative celebrates Boca Raton's unique character through community-inspired poetry, recycled materials, and public art placed in unexpected locations throughout the city. Plastic Poetry was commissioned by Public Art Boca in collaboration with O, Miami and Free Plastic. The Ode to Boca series transforms recycled plastic waste into five-line poems inspired by the digits of Boca Raton's ZIP codes. The words, written by local residents, reflect the city's spirit, stories, and natural beauty. Each letter was crafted from recycled polypropylene collected during local cleanups. The plastic was melted and molded into colorful, durable 5-inch letters. Palm Trees Sway incorporates 7.32 pounds of recycled plastic. Palm Trees Sway features a poem by Boca Raton resident Jennifer, whose verse captures the peaceful rhythm of life by the ocean: Palm trees sway Ocean breeze whispers Sunrise paints the sky A century of learning, Young minds growing -- Jennifer Ferris I love how this series is a blend of art, recycling, and Boca Raton pride. In front of the artwork is a garden of flowers further tying it to a message of environmental protection. This meaningful addition to the entrance is well worth taking a moment to appreciate before entering the library.

Located in the back of Jaycee Park is a cool little piece of local art. It Embraces the swordfish,…read morecertainly and iconic creature here in South Florida. We need these little quirks to help Define our communities. I enjoyed my walk around this park that I enjoyed finding this little sculpture.

I have always loved this mysterious lady under the Harris bridge. A flower crown hovers above her…read morehead and her eyes gaze down as her hair dips into the water. You can best view her under the Lake Worth Bridge from the piers of the Snook Islands. It turns out this lady has a story and a name, Uhame which means spirit in Hawaiian. She was painted by Hawaiian artist Sean Yoro for the 2017 Canvas Art Festival. Yoro's art can be found all over the world. Many of his works blend humans and nature together. He has completed more than 50 murals, many on walls. He has even completed murals under water. His twin brother Kapu often documents his work. Yoro said that he was inspired to create Uhame by the City of Lake Worth itself. Lake Worth reminded him of Hawaii and he wanted the mural to reflect the peacefulness of the water and the nature of the city. I have always loved this piece and I am happy to finally know more about it.