UC Berkeley Sustainability Art Work Unveiling - How it went!

On Tuesday, April 24th, a group of UC Berkeley campus and community members and our newest Streets Alive! UCB artists gathered to inaugurate another round of utility boxes on the Telegraph and Downtown Berkeley areas. 

The art was placed on Utility Boxes owned by the City of Berkeley, and was paid for by the University of California Berkeley’s Chancellor Community Partnership Fund.  Local artists were chosen to design original works based on the theme of “Sustainability,” and the University worked in partnership with the City of Berkeley’s Civic Arts Commission to select and approve the art. 

Thanks to the $20,000 grant from the UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund, Streets Alive was able to work with UC Berkeley partners from the Office of Sustainability and UC Berkeley’s Office of Capitol Projects to place art on 7 boxes around the campus edge. The effort was produced by the Earth Island Institute’s Streets Alive Initiative, which aims to bring more art and nature to the streetscape.

Celebrating the new boxes was Associate Chancellor of UC Berkeley Linda Williams, City Berkeley City Councilmember Jesse Arreguin, Kira Stoll of the UC Berkeley Sustainability Department, Jennifer McDougall and Jim Horner from UC Berkeley’s Office of Capitol Projects, Julie Sinai from the Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund, Roland Peterson from the Telegraph Business District Association, Ariana Katovich from the Streets Alive Initiative, members of the Earth Island Institute, local artists and interested community members.

A short reception on the steps of UCB's MLK Student Union was followed by a walking tour which included speeches by the artists who designed the box, a Q&A session with the printer and installer, Bay Area Sign Installation, and remarks from the University, the Earth Island Institute and Councilmember Arreguin.

The works that were unveiled were:

- “Grow” by Erin Johnson at the corner of Durant and Telegraph

- “Cross Section” by Keenan Gravier at the corner of Telegraph and Bancroft

- “Plum Blossoms" and "Power Pole” by Robbin Légère Henderson at the corner of Berkeley Way and Oxford

- “Sending Signals” by Brad Aldridge at the corner of Hearst and Oxford

- “Leaf Study” and “Tree Cathedral” by Dotti Cichon at Shattuck and University

Linda Williams (UC Berkeley Associate Chancellor). Jesse Arreguín (Berkeley City Council representing District 4), Jennifer McDougall (Principal Planner, Capital Projects – Facilities Services) and Kira Stoll (Sustainability Manager, Office of Sustainability) with Erin Johnson's utility box "Grow" on Telegraph & Durant

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