Santa Barbara Unveils Design for Downtown Asphalt Art Project

The City of Santa Barbara released the design for an upcoming public street art project, which will transform the corner of State and Carrillo streets into a vibrant display inspired by Mixtec and Zapotec weaving patterns. The project is part of Bloomberg’s Asphalt Art Initiative, which selected the city as one of 10 cities in North America to receive a $100,000 grant for a public street art project last year.

Santa Barbara city staff and the County Office of Arts and Culture worked with lead artist Eddie Jiménez — a textile artist who specializes in Zapotec weaving — and Santa Barbara City College graphic design professor Irene Ramirez to create a design inspired by Indigenous weaving patterns, rendered in a striking bright blue with geometric elements in vivid pink and orange.

Jiménez said the design is inspired by the ancient practice of textile weaving, using symbols and colors that pay homage to the Zapotec culture. “A lot of the patterns and designs that we have are actually direct images from ruins that are left behind, so for us it’s a way to still stay in touch and connect with our ancestors and to honor the foundation that they laid down,” Jiménez said.

The city held several public events in the past few months to allow the community to provide input, with an all-day artist meet-and-greet in December and a weaving workshop and community outreach session held at the Farmers’ Market location in January. Planning staff also gathered input from the city Arts Advisory Committee, Santa Barbara High School’s Visual Art & Design Academy (VADA), the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), Friends of State Street, Santa Barbara Beautiful, and the Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association.

In addition to the large asphalt art installation, the project will include new artwork-wrapped planters, string lights painted by high school students with VADA, custom Santa Barbara–inspired paper picado displays on State Street, and a community loom at the weekly Farmers’ Market held at the same intersection.

The painting process will begin on weekdays starting Monday, April 9. During the installation process, Carrillo Street will be open but will become a two-lane street between Chapala and Anacapa. Other art elements will be installed around May 1, following the painting of the streets.

Friends of State Street will provide assistance during the painting period. The group has sponsored a mobile Santa Barbara Paint Depot for all necessary materials during installation, and will provide breakfast and refreshments for volunteers.

“Projects like this bring creativity and energy and community pride into our public spaces, and we would be honored to support the city in making that happen,” said Friends of State Street Executive Director Sharon Rich.

During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, State Street Master Planner Tess Harris outlined the planning process for the project, and provided an explanation about Bloomberg’s other main reason for the grant initiative, which is to bring a high-visibility art project that will make a high-traffic area safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

According to Bloomberg’s studies, the locations selected for the asphalt art projects have resulted in a 50 percent decrease in the rate of crashes involving pedestrians and a 37 percent decrease in accidents causing injuries

Harris said the project will also serve to bring awareness to the Mixtec and Zapotec culture, and to the many farmworkers and agricultural workers from indigenous Mexican backgrounds who contribute to the fresh produce that ends up at the weekly market.

“We’re trying to bring awareness of a community that has a lot of impact on the farmers’ market itself, from the beginning of growing the fruits and vegetables to actually being at the booth and at the farmers market,” Harris said.

City staff will be at the Farmers’ Market on Saturday, March 21, to host an additional outreach session and share the finalized design with the public. 

The City Council did not take action, since the project is fully funded through the Bloomberg grant, but councilmembers expressed their support for the upcoming project.

“I think this is so exciting, and it’s really an honor that we were selected, and it’s really gonna bring people downtown,” said Councilmember Kristen Sneddon.