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Santa Barbara to install Zapotec-inspired asphalt art at State and Carrillo
Summary
Santa Barbara City and the County Office of Arts and Culture, with a Bloomberg Asphalt Art Initiative grant, will install a Zapotec-inspired asphalt art design by lead artist Eddie Jimenez and designer Irene Ramirez at State and Carrillo and nearby blocks of State Street. The work is planned to remain for two years and will be painted with local artists and volunteers.
Santa Barbara City and the County Office of Arts and Culture said they will transform the intersection of State and Carrillo and adjacent blocks of State Street with a large, colorful asphalt art installation funded by a Bloomberg Asphalt Art Initiative grant. The lead artist is Eddie Jimenez, who is working with graphic designer Irene Ramirez.
The project team said the design is inspired by Zapotec artwork and traditional weaving. “Weaving to my community, to Zapotec community, I would say it's almost a way of life,” Eddie Jimenez, the lead artist, said, describing how patterns are taught by lineage and used to connect with ancestors. Jimenez said many of the patterns are direct images from ruins and that bringing those patterns to this space honors the foundation laid by earlier generations.
Project organizers described the work as intentionally large and vibrant to draw people to the area and support placemaking. A staff member involved with the project said the installation will include painted curb extensions along Carrillo Street past State Street to improve sight lines and help pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers see each other more clearly. “Art definitely has an effect on traffic calming,” said a presenter for the project.
The staff member said the design will be stenciled over a few days and then painted with local artists, community members and volunteers; the team plans for the art to remain in place for two years. Organizers also framed the work as recognition of the community’s role in the nearby farmers market, noting local residents’ contributions from growing produce to staffing booths.
Jimenez said he hopes the installation will spark curiosity and bring different communities together: “For a split moment, they might share in that curiosity. And it's in that really special moment that community happens.” The city has not announced a specific installation date in the transcript; project timing beyond the multi-day stencil and two-year display was not specified.
The city and county office said the work is funded by the Bloomberg Asphalt Art Initiative grant and will be implemented with local artists and volunteers; no formal votes or additional approvals were recorded in the provided transcript.
