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Committee approves Alex Braden’s ‘Be as Water’ final design for Arthur Avenue underpass lighting, $500,000 artist budget
Summary
The committee approved the final design by artist Alex Braden for lighting and paint treatments under the Arthur Avenue/I-65 underpass; the project carries an artist budget of $500,000 and requires license agreements and state transportation review before installation.
The Metro Arts Public Art Committee approved Alex Braden’s final design for the Arthur Avenue Public Art Lighting Project, titled Be as Water, and confirmed an artist budget of $500,000.
Staff described the project as a multimedia lighting installation consisting primarily of a dynamic canopy of LED lights set against a deep blue painted background. The design retains the lighting-focused concept from an earlier approval and reduces or removes benches and large-scale murals on T-DOT walls for maintenance and site-constraint reasons. The committee approved the final design and recorded the motion as passed.
Anne Leslie, speaking for Metro Arts staff, told the committee that the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) — which owns the bridge structure — must approve any paint colors and attachments to the bridge. Leslie said the team worked within a federally approved transportation color palette and selected a bold blue for vertical sidewalls and I-beams that fit the artist’s concept. Leslie also explained that turning wall space into artwork would change maintenance responsibility, and that removing benches and adjusting wall treatments allowed a larger portion of funds to go into lighting.
The artist’s narrative included with the final design describes Be as Water as “a multimedia work of art consisting primarily of a dynamic canopy of LED light referencing the nature and movement of water as an homage to the resilience of the North Nashville community.” Staff said stamped drawings are under preparation; once engineers complete review those drawings will proceed to TDOT for review and then to Metro for the license/lease and Metro Council approval. Staff estimated installation could begin around June, with roughly two months of site preparation (painting, electrical infrastructure and sidewalk repairs) and about a week for artwork installation, weather permitting, followed by a dedication.
The committee noted the project’s origins in a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant and in neighborhood-led planning, and acknowledged ongoing coordination required with NDOT/TDOT and community elders. The motion to approve the final design passed; committee members did not record individual vote counts in the transcript.
