A new public art piece is giving Alamo City commuters the feels by bringing them a powerful message: “You Are Beautiful.”
The artwork — a partnership between business-development strategy firm Valence, the San Antonio River Foundation, Area Real Estate and US Signs — was unveiled overnight, surprising drivers headed into downtown Wednesday morning.
“[In 2020], the world wasn’t really a happy place,” Valence partner and brand strategist Alexander Hilmy told the Current. “San Antonio has given us so much personally and professionally, so this was like a love letter back to the city. This was something we decided to do that would, hopefully, just make people happy.”
The installation took nearly a year to make happen, including planning, permitting and installation. Pandemic-driven supply issues lengthened the timeline, Hilmy added.
The 60-foot-long sculpture of linear LED lights graces the massive 1221 Broadway property, visible to pedestrians off the Broadway corridor and to those traveling along U.S. Highway 281 near the Interstate 35 interchange.
The glowing LEDs are set to turn on every evening at dusk. Art lovers who prefer not to roll the dice on downtown-area traffic can sneak a peek at photos and drone video captured early Wednesday morning, after the structure was completed.
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This article appears in Jan 26 – Feb 8, 2022.
