Carlsbad’s city council has approved artist Roger White Stoller’s design for a sculpture that will greet visitors and residents entering the city through the new roundabout under construction at the intersection of Carlsbad Boulevard and State Street.
Stoller’s “CoastalHelix” will serve as a signature work at the city’s traditional northern gateway just south of Buena Vista Lagoon on historic Highway 101. The sculpture will weave abstract images drawn from Carlsbad’s culture and environment into a metal lacework mounted on top of the roundabout.
“The roundabout is an important entryway into the City of Carlsbad, so we want a piece of art that tells people that this is a vibrant city, a cultural city, a city that treasures the environment and welcomes innovation,” said Carlsbad Cultural Arts Manager Vincent Kitch.
Stoller and the landscape architects cooperated on the overall design for the roundabout, and the $100,000 art project is expected to be completed in mid to late summer.
Stoller, who is based in the Silicon Valley communities of Portola Valley and San Jose, has produced a variety of works of public art, including:
- “Tetrahelix,” a bronze, steel and granite sculpture at Google’s corporate headquarters in Mountain View, CA
- “Baja Luna,” a metal and onyx sculpture hanging at the Magnussen Lodge in Lake Tahoe, CA
- “Tetra Con Brio,” composed of bronze, steel and concrete, which serves as the signature piece for the music center at Strathmore in Montgomery County, MD
The sculpture for Carlsbad will incorporate abstract images of a whale, pelican, heron, crab, waves, sunset and bird of paradise in a spiral or helix, which he said is one of his favorite forms and is naturally suited to a roundabout.
The city is constructing the roundabout to improve connectivity for all modes of transportation at the busy intersection, as well as to improve safety by slowing traffic and adding more room for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Carlsbad’s Art in Public Places program began in 1985 and is designed to expand residents’ appreciation of art, reflect the city’s aspiration to improve the quality of life and to enhance and identify Carlsbad as a unique community.
— From a City of Carlsbad press release
