Buster Simpson P

Title: Levee as Armature

Location: Santa Cruz, CA

Perhaps the penultimate solution to the flooding of Santa Cruz by the San Lorenzo River is to move the urban core back to the bluffs above the natural floodplain and allow the River's natural meander to return. As it stands, the paradox between the San Lorenzo's need to meander and the City of Santa Cruz 's desire to contain the River provides the impetus for this Public Art Master Plan for the San Lorenzo Riverway (Art Plan). The levee is the single most dominant man-made element in Santa Cruz, although it has yet to realize its potential as a key urban amenity. The San Lorenzo River is the reason for the city's location; however, the river has yet to become re-established within its channelized predicament caused by the growth of the city. Artists, as creative thinkers, can provide important contributions that would be as poetic as they are pragmatic. This Art Plan is the vision and the armature providing the framework, approach, and dynamics between artist, community, and city. The foundation of the Art Plan is based in part on the purpose and goals stated in the San Lorenzo Urban River Plan (River Plan) and they should be considered companion documents.

Buster Simpson, an active artist since the 1970s, has worked on major infrastructure projects, site master planning, signature sculptures, museum installations, and community projects. Recent projects include a light rail bridge, sustainable water infrastructure fountains, and a campus campanile. Master plans include a 40-acre sustainable arts plan for downtown Vancouver, BC, Canada, a $1.8 billion waste water treatment plant, and he is presently engaged in a 14-mile streetscape project in Doha, Qatar. Recent installations include Incidence at the International Museum of Glass and Instrument Implement at the Sheehan Gallery, Whitman College.

He is known for a wide range of work including stand-alone sculpture as well as integrated and/or collaborative works. His pieces incorporate ecological, historical, social, and aesthetic considerations, contextualizing them into the site-specific values of place. His art, its medium and product will vary, but the methodology and underpinning conceptual approach are consistent. He prefers working in public spaces.

Buster Simpson