“Image Emergence: Promenade of the Clouds” by Craig Cree Stone is an integrated public artwork located on the south block of The Promenade in Downtown Long Beach. The artwork is composed of five large-scale, stainless-steel sculptures which cast shadow images based upon the themes of flight and the future. The cast shadows appear and disappear depending upon the time of day and weather conditions. In addition, 12 illusionistic shadows which complement the sculptures are permanently stained into the concrete. At night, the free-standing sculptural elements are illuminated to create images that are evocative of constellations.
“The Promenade has been transformed by the improvements made by the RDA in recent years,” said Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal of the 2nd District. “By providing inviting public spaces where people can appreciate art and build a sense of community, the RDA is helping the downtown live up to its reputation as a desirable place to live, work or visit.”
In recent years, the RDA has been facilitating the revitalization of The Promenade, the city’s unique downtown pedestrian walkway that stretches from Ocean Boulevard to 3rd Street, with the completion of three mixed-use developments, landscape and streetscape improvements, and a public art plaza.
This project was planned and integrated as part of The Promenade development which also includes two additional public artworks: “Aerial Plaza” by Carl Cheng, which was unveiled in 2010: and the historic 1938 WPA mosaic “Long Beach Recreation” by Stanton MacDonald-Wright and Albert King.
Stone was selected through a competitive, local call-to-artists, which included a peer-panel review process with participation from both community members as well as art and design professionals. Born in Reno, Nevada, and raised in Riverside, Stone has been a resident of Long Beach since the mid 1970s when he came to California State University, Long Beach as a student. Currently, he is professor of art and Indian studies at CSULB, where he teaches studio art and public art courses. As an artist, he is known for his public artworks that often incorporate the use of shadows to allude to the history of their sites. He has received numerous public art commissions, and his work is in the collection of several municipalities in Southern California including: “Shadows Casting on the Shore” in Belmont Shore, “Hilltop Perspectives: Earth Upon Water” on Hilltop Park in Signal Hill, and “Oasis of the Fossil Dunes” at City Hall in the City of Manhattan Beach.
According to the RDA, beyond its enriching personal benefits, public art increases a community’s assets and expresses its positive sense of identity and values, as well as helping green space thrive and enhancing roadside, pedestrian corridors, and commercial gateways.
More Information
LongBeachRDA.org
artslb.org
