People love to complain about public art, but an installation in Emeryville, CA is almost universally loved. One expert says, 'It creates something that is thought-provoking. It isn't just decorative.'
"It's getting harder to be noticed in the bulging, big tent of public art, but a project in tiny Emeryville (population 6,882) is causing heads to swivel.
All around the East Bay city, normally unnoticed utility boxes on sidewalks near traffic lights have been reborn as eye-grabbing, head-scratching works of art.
The materials and design are simple: a black stick figure on a yellow background, the same character commonly seen on road signs.
But this figure is doing odd things. At one intersection, he's juggling three heads. In front of City Hall, he's kneeling and tending a giant question mark. A few blocks away, he's tightrope-walking on a Möbius strip.
"I try to make the art more friendly and accessible and welcoming," said Oakland-based conceptual artist Seyed Alavi, who came up with the idea in a city competition for unleashing the aesthetic potential of the large metal boxes that contain controls for stoplights.
Titled "Signs of the Times," the project was named Best Pedestrian-Puzzling Public Art in a best-of-the-East-Bay feature in the current issue of Oakland magazine.
The Iranian-born Alavi, 49, who holds a master's in fine arts from the San Francisco Art Institute, said he wanted to install "something that would give you a moment to laugh and a moment to reflect."
FULL STORY: Artist's electrifying canvas in Emeryville

Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.

National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.

Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.

Test News Post 1
This is a summary

Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.

Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service