Blue Trees Art

The Blue Trees art installation in Seattle earlier this year - Courtesy of Konstantin Dimopoulos

Sactown magazine is reporting that on On Oct. 9, Australian artist Konstantin Dimopoulos will begin coloring about 20 sycamore trees on both sides of 13th street between J and K streets in downtown Sacramento, flanked by the convention center and the Sheraton Grand Hotel. Using eco-friendly, bright, ultramarine blue pigment, the artist will make a bold urban design statement while hoping to draw attention to global deforestation issues.

 

The Tree Foundation quickly partnered with the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau and Sactown magazine to help organize and fund the event. In only about a week’s time, the team raised approximately $25,000 from community groups and leaders to make the project a reality.

 

With the help of volunteers, Dimopoulos will paint the trees over the course of five days (Oct. 9-13). The paint is expected to last until the bark begins to shed in spring, so the trees will remain blue for approximately six months.

Courting Disaster

In the current Feb/Mar Sactown Magazine there is well written piece by Rob Turner on the many reasons why the proposed superior county courthouse should NOT be built on Capitol Mall but instead built over at the other proposed site in the railyards. The list of reasons and examples includes the 2002 East End Project that was also a State funded project that ignored the pleas of the Sacramento review board and was not subject to any authority in how it was built... just how like this building will also be exempt to any design oversight. The article really nails it when it talks about how the area would also have a steady stream of felons and accusers at a site that should be reserved for something special.

The articles called "Courting Disaster" and I highly recommend picking it up or viewing it here.