Every few years, it seems, I park my bike among these stainless steel sculptures, as I did on Nov. 1, 2025.
It was five years ago that Albany installed an art arrangement of sculptures near a busy highway. If no one talks about it much, or at all, it’s because the thing is kind of hard to see.
This array of giant steel “wildflowers” sits on state land near the Pacific Boulevard off-ramp to Lyon Street. Every now and then, I notice it when I’ve come to that spot on the off-road bike trail on the north side of the Pacific viaduct.
Being on foot or on the bike is about the only way to notice this artwork. When you’re in a vehicle driving down the offramp, you better keep your eyes on the signal at the bottom and don’t have time to glance sideways to your right.
The 15-foot structures are made of stainless steel and have giant petals perforated with the shapes of various pollinating bugs. Each one has a light in its center that comes on at night and slowly changes color. I don’t know if the lights still work. Even if they do, they are kind of dim and hard to see.
During the day, the view of the sculptures seems to be overpowered by the surrounding trees, especially when the leaves turn in early fall.
Maybe this was not the most ideal place for this art installation. Not if it was intended to create an impression.
The design was chosen in 2018 by the Albany Arts Commission and then ratified by the city council, which allocated $80,000 to the making of the work under the city ordinance requiring that 1 percent of the cost of some public buildings (in this case the police headquarters) be spent on public art.
It wasn’t until two years ago that I learned the array has a name. DeeDee Morrison, the artist who built it, called it “Integrated Narrative.”
The narrative was never easy to read. It’s even harder when the work is not that easy to see. (hh)
Here’s a closer view of “Integrated Narrative” on the first of this month, a nice fall day.
Perhaps if you got off your bike a little more, you’d begin to notice these things more and gripe about them a little less. Look out any window. See what’s going on.
I would think your statement applies directly to you. Why don’t you pull your head out of the sand and you might have a positive effect on people rather than a negative one.
A REPAIRED POTHOLE IS ALSO A WORK OF ART….COULD HAVE FIXED 500 OF THOSE FOR $ 80,000….OH WELL….
Hear, hear! Thanks for your letter.
You think a properly repaired pothole costs an average of $160? Ha! In this economy?
Been there several times this past year at night while changing buses and trains. My curiosity often takes me to see if the lights are working. Nope! Not even once.
Based on a lifetime of “intuitive” engineering, I had misgivings about this project from the start:
https://hh-today.com/art-for-albany-city-panel-picks-a-concept/#comment-15532
Nice pictures, Hasso. Thanks.
$80,000 and nobody even notices them unless you’re on foot. You make a good point with this article. Seems like such a waste of money now.
Alrighty then! I thought art was supposed to be seen, not hidden? Thanks, Hasso. Didn’t have a clue they were even there.
They are beautifully done.
No wonder the city put up the stoplight cameras to recoup police funds for art work. Hopefully, more stroke victim’s family will be desperate to be there for their loved ones. It is hard to hear about all the money spent on the city’s unnecessary projects when honest citizens are not given a break for slightly speeding. We would love to enjoy our city projects and appreciate such art work if we did not pay such a high price for everything they do. Some actual goodwill towards our citizens would go a long way rather than artwork no one ever sees.
I am quite surprised that folks seemingly don’t notice and enjoy the sculptures. I never seem to catch that light when coming down from the overpass and always, yes, always turn and watch the flowers. I cannot say that, given the choice, I would have allocated the funds that way. I’m financially ‘responsible’ and choose the practical over the beautiful. I would have been inclined to service the streets, clean up existing parks, or add bathroom facilities to highly used parks like Lexington. Or even better, not built a fancy new police station and keep our residents’ taxes down. Think of the many iconic pieces throughout the world: the St. Louis arch, Portlandia, Christ the Redeemer in Rio. Our world is a better, more enjoyable place when we do make the investment to make it more attractive.
When this came up to Council, I asked that the amount be reduced or eliminated, the requirement was made by the Council and could be changed. It fell on deaf ears. suggested that the petals be made of Titanium or Zirconium from local sources, also those same ears. The whole Idea that we must spend a percentage of a project on something that has no connection with said project is without intellectual thought and a total waste of money. When it got here it didn’t work…
I have tried to tell whether any colored lights still worked in these flowers when I pass by them at night, but I never can detect any. They were lovely, in their way, when they were younger, but then weren’t we all lovelier when we were younger?
Waste of money