Client: City of Santa Rosa Public Art Program

Overview

Artwork fosters healing in the face of wildfire: Integrated within a rain garden, engaging sculptures invite playful interaction and foster healing and resiliency within a community impacted by climate change, drought and threat of wildfire. Informed by dialogue with community members who lost their homes to the 2017 Tubbs wildfires, these fantastical large-scale Raindrop sculptures honor the vital role water and water conservation can play in protecting communities at risk from climate change. Informed by community dialogue, the artwork serves as a gathering place, play space and community hub. The sculptures can be rotated, enabling an endless array of seating compositions to be created within this public park plaza. Rendered in highly Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) with twinkling glass terrazzo in vivid blue hues, these scuptures also exemplify an innovative approach to this highly durable material; the smooth finish is inviting to the touch and stays cool under the sun. Wowhaus engaged community members of all ages in the design development of this commission; they suggested the phosphorescent mosaic pattern echoing intersecting water drops, symbolic of the interconnectedness of community members who have supported each other.

Goals

This artwork commemorates the resiliency of the Coffey Park Community, devastated by the 2017 Tubbs Wildfire. Engaging community members of all ages - including children who lost their homes - Wowhaus created a joyful, uplifting design that evokes the healing nature of water, which is vital to the ecosystem and also a balm. Wowhaus sited the artwork within a rain garden to draw attention to the vital role of water reclamation in preserving the urban watershed.

Process

Wowhaus engaged community members of all ages via workshops and online surveys in developing their design concept for this artwork. Wowhaus worked closely with fabricators and engineers, developing custom exterior grade hardware to enable the functional sculptures to pivot. Wowhaus also collaborated with City Staff, Carlile Macy Landscape Architects and the general contractor in order to integrate the artwork within the Master Plan for this public park.