Waco's I

Jul 25, 2023

Workers affix a lighting globe to its support on the Interstate 35 bridge over Fourth and Fifth streets May 2. The globe and others in the project were later taken down over city officials’ concerns with their colors, though plans are in the works to reinstall them, possibly after refinishing.

A metal lighting globe by artist Morgan Eyring celebrates Texas wildflowers. It and others in the project have been removed from their mounts under I-35 at Fourth and Fifth streets, though plans are in the works to reinstall them, possibly after refinishing.

Waco landmarks circle the exterior of one of six lighting globes planned for an Interstate 35 overpass. The globes briefly installed last week were taken down over city officials’ concerns with their colors, though plans are in the works to reinstall them, possibly after refinishing.

Workers affix a lighting globe to its support on the Interstate 35 bridge over Fourth and Fifth streets May 2. The globe and others in the project were later taken down over city officials' concerns with their colors, though plans are in the works to reinstall them, possibly after refinishing.

Anyone awaiting the debut of large metal light globes casting patterned shadows under the Interstate 35 overpass at Fourth and Fifth streets will have to wait a little longer, pending a resolution of a dispute over their color.

The six 4-foot, brightly painted metal spheres crafted by local artists Morgan Eyring and Andrea La Valleur-Purvis were nearing their full installation on May 2 when city officials halted the work and had crews remove ones already attached.

Those awaiting the debut of large metal light globes casting patterned shadows under the Interstate 35 overpass over Fourth and Fifth Streets will have to wait a little longer pending a resolution of a dispute over their color.

The issue at hand was the globes’ colors: green, orange, light blue, yellow, pink and purple. City spokesperson Monica Sedelmeier said the colors are not what city council members had in mind when they approved the light project nearly five years ago in a $2.1 million, three-component plan to add decorative lighting to I-35 overpasses and bridge towers.

The lighting project presentations made to both the downtown Tax Increment Financing Zone board and the city council featured photos of "Ballroom Luminoso," a similar globe lighting project in San Antonio made from bicycle parts.

"The City and TIF Board had seen images of the metallic globes and thought this was representative of the finished product," Sedelmeier said in an emailed statement. "There was genuine surprise when the look was not what had been discussed, approved, and funded by the approving bodies."

As a result, City Manager Bradley Ford, after conferring with Mayor Dillon Meek, stopped the installation, she said.

While council members might have had a specific look in mind when they approved the $430,000 project, it apparently was not required in the specifications given the artists who were awarded the commission. Arts nonprofit Creative Waco coordinated the project, and Director Fiona Bond said the documents calling for proposals and the specifications given the selected artists were open to either an unfinished or painted design.

In a statement on La Valleur-Purvis’ website, the artists say the five-month process of designing, assembling and painting the metal spheres was publicly visible. The statement refers to social media posts on the process and links to a Tribune-Herald story from February that includes photos of one globe painted orange and makes multiple references to the finished pieces being painted in bright colors.

"Every part of this creative process has been thoughtfully considered, deliberated and researched," the statement says. "We had studio visits, reviews, posted our creative process publicly on our instagrams and even had previous press mentions about this project earlier this year.

"There were so many opportunities for questions and feedback from city stakeholders prior to installation day. And while we believe the decision to immediately uninstall the work was hasty and unnecessary, it provokes the question of how approvals and artistic license decisions around Public Art Policy are being made in conjunction with the ongoing Public Art Strategic Plan in Waco."

They said the city and Creative Waco "have reassured us they are excited to see our work installed soon."

The metal globes Eyring and La Valleur-Purvis crafted feature shapes evoking Waco history, wildlife, flora, structures and images. Each will surround an LED white-light lamp that when illuminated will project shadows of the designs on the plaza area under I-35 and between Fourth and Fifth streets. City officials, in fact, were pleased with the metal designs, Sedelmeier said.

City representatives, Creative Waco and the artists anticipate meeting soon to resolve what Sedelmeier characterized as a "miscommunication" between the city and Creative Waco. All agree the globes will go back up.

"We love the globe pieces, and the outstanding work done by artists Morgan Eyring and Andrea LaValleur Purvis," Bond wrote in a statement. "We appreciate their immense grace and professionalism, and are committed to making sure that their voices and thoughtful artistic process are part of determining next steps.

"We are looking forward to working with our partners at the city to ensure these lovely artworks become a much-loved artistic feature for the whole community to enjoy. … This is going to end up being a valuable learning experience for us and our partners at the city. We look forward to working together to create strong pathways for more great public art in the future."

In their statement, La Valleur-Purvis and Eyring said the decision to stop installation of their works had left them "shocked and professionally embarrassed," but that they consider Creative Waco team a "wonderful partner and advocate."

"We fully expect to reach a solution that supports both our artistic voice and aligns with the city's Public Art Initiatives and Waco's broader strategic goals," their statement says.

One part of the city's three-part decorative lighting plan for the I-35 overpasses is already in place, with colored LED light strips installed to illuminate the columns of the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, University Parks Drive, Fourth and Fifth street, and 11th Street overpasses.

The lights can be configured to shine in different colors and at specified times, such as for holidays, city celebrations or emphases.

The third component of I-35 decorative lighting, the bridge towers over the Brazos River, will be considered soon with proposals to replace the existing decorative lighting presented to the city, Sedelmeier said.

The normally bland underside of the Interstate 35 overpass at Fourth and Fifth Streets will sprout six brightly colored four-foot light globes later this spring, a touch of Waco art in an unexpected place, thanks to the work of local designers and artists Morgan Eyring and Andrea La Valleur-Purvis.

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Carl Hoover has covered Waco arts and entertainment, and more, for the Tribune-Herald since 1984.

The underside of the new I-35 overpass at Fourth and Fifth streets will sprout six brightly colored light globes this spring, a touch of Waco …

The Waco artists behind light globes to be installed under I-35 will not have to go back to the drawing board, just the paint shop.