What started as a singular art installation soon morphed into something much larger. The City of San Antonio’s Krystal Jones says that a growing series of metal sculptures is called “Bloom.”
“Bloom is a wonderful sculpture series and it’s by San Antonio artist Leticia Huerta,” she said.
The original sculpture was placed in McAllister Park, but it was soon apparent there was an appetite for more.
“When the sculpture was created, there was such significant feedback, and that’s when the City of San Antonio’s Parks and Recreation Department and our department said ‘Well, what if we made this a series with this artist to really focus on the greenway trail system and making a placemaking element, using art to signify where trailheads are?’” said Jones.
So that’s precisely what they did.
“Currently we have five locations. They’re at McAllister Park, Eisenhower Park, they’re on the River Walk at the public art garden, and then we have the two new locations: the Brazos Pocket Park and Farias Park,” she said.
By next summer, they will add two more locations: The South Side Lions Park and Leon Creek at Tezel Road Facility. So, what exactly are they?
“They’re these oversized metal flowers,” Jones said. “They have elements within them that resemble oversized bicycle parts.”
Huerta spent time on the Greenway system and noticed it’s used extensively by bicyclists.
“So she was really influenced by how people use the trails and wanted to reflect that in this sculpture series,” she said.
And then there’s the specific flowers themselves. Explanatory trail signs give walkers and bicyclists their backstory.
“They read more about the sculptures and they learn that ‘Hey, this flower is something I’m going to see along my ride,’” she said.
In other words, they’re not just any flowers; they’re flowers that bloom on that trail.
“And you think ‘You know what, I’m going to go and look for this flower along my bike or hike trip,’” Jones said.
You can find a lot more about the project here.
