A new sculpture has been installed in the middle of the recently completed roundabout located at S. Santa Fe Avenue and Guajome Street in the Paseo Santa Fe corridor. Local artists Melissa Ralston and Robert Rochin designed the sculpture titled “Aspire” for the roundabout located at S. Santa Fe Avenue and Guajome Street.
A City crew from the Public Works Department and the artists’ crew, comprised of Leo Soriano, Victor Ramirez, and Manuel Serrato of Rochin’s Ornamental and Salvador Anguiano, Alejandro Mendoza, and Hilario Cortez of Scott Fence assisted with the installation.
The City received fourteen submittals by nine artists in response to an artist call issued in January, 2019. In April, 2019, the “Aspire” sculpture was selected by the Public Arts Commission. The sculpture depicts a large tree with extended branches and leaves, along with several figures at the base whose arms transcend into upward-reaching branches. The overall height of the sculpture is 18 feet with a width of 24 feet at the widest canopy.
The area, known as Paseo Santa Fe, encompasses the S. Santa Fe Avenue corridor between Vista Village Drive and Civic Center Drive. The roundabout was constructed as part of Phase II of the Paseo Santa Fe Street Improvement project. The Paseo Santa Fe street improvements along S. Santa Fe Avenue are nearing completion with the last phase of construction ending in early 2021.
