Thirty Cal Poly students joined local artists, a former mayor and ARTS Obispo for an in-depth exploration of Art in Public Places (APP) in downtown San Luis Obispo on Nov. 6. The APP tour is the first of four collaborative workshops offered by Cal Poly’s City & Regional Planning (CRP) Department in collaboration with ARTS Obispo’s Art in Public Places Committee.

Ann Ream, ARTS Obispo’s longtime APP committee chair, began the tour at ARTS Space Obispo in the SLO Creamery by explaining the history of Art in Public Places in SLO. Artists Sandra Kay Johnson, Carol Paulsen and Jim Jacobson gave personal perspectives on the APP process, their inspiration, and City involvement while on the walking tour.

Johnson spoke first as the students gathered around her Web of Life sculpture located along San Luis Creek not far from the SLO Children’s Museum. She explained that being able to touch Web of Life is both unique for a work of art, and essential to this work’s intention. Students were encouraged to gently push the giant bronze sculpted globe, spinning it to reveal three-dimensional creatures sculpted on its surface.

Carol Paulsen spoke in front of her whimsical sculpture, Bee Bee Works His Magic, located in front of the SLO Little Theatre. This work was created as a memoriam to long time community arts advocate and writer Bill Beeson. Paulsen described the APP process she went through from submission of her application to construction of the work of art and mentioned adding hand-written letters and notes to Beeson in the heart of the sculpture.

Students so enjoyed this anecdote that they suggested such anecdotes be published and available to the general public. ARTS Obispo will consider adding such information to their website in the future.

Jim Jacobson, an artist with 8 works of public art in SLO, spoke to the students in front of his sculpture Fish Life next to the SLO Museum of Art (SLOMA). Rain encouraged the group to move inside SLOMA where Jacobson passed around a model of the first piece of public art in SLO, the Santa Rosa Bridge inspired by the nearby Frank Lloyd Wright building.

Former Mayor and former CRP Department Head, Ken Schwartz joined the group at the end of the tour and spoke about the importance of public art in city planning. Armed with large photos of downtown SLO in the 1950’s, Schwartz reminded the students of their responsibilities as city planners to envision space for the arts, both visual and performing, in the city layout.

Cal Poly’s CRP Department Head, Hemalata Dandekar, Assistant Professor, Umut Toker, and graduate student, Darci Palmer worked closely with Ann Ream and ARTS Obispo’s Program Director Jenna Hartzell, to create these workshops designed to expose CRP students to all elements of the public art process. For more information contact ARTS Obispo at 544-9251 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .