Downtown Anaheim artworks help mark the renewal of Anaheim's historic center. New office buildings and retail businesses along with special events and activities will bring people back to an area that has witnessed much of Anaheim's history.

The Art for Public Places program was developed to commemorate some of this history and integrate the human element into the physical environment of buildings, streets and landscaping. Over time, the "Hammer Clock" by Daniel Martinez, the "Sinking Canoe" by Nobi Nagasawa and the Anaheim "A" benches by Buster Simpson, just to mention a few of their artworks, will provide unique identity for Downtown Anaheim Center.

Like much contemporary art, the Anaheim Center art can be enjoyed and interpreted in many ways. Memories of the past may be prompted by the "Orange Crates", thoughts about living in a desert and using water carefully may be prompted by the "Exchanger Fountain" and appreciation of the wonders of advanced technology may be prompted by the "Video Trees". People will experience the art as fun, challenging, delightful, confusing, silly, and wonderful -- the range is infinite.

The nature of work and the passage of time are two themes which many of the artworks share in common. Anaheim Center is a workplace for hundreds of people. In earlier days Downtown was the location of Anaheim's bank, post office, general store and other business enterprises necessary to its agricultural economy. The art at the corner of West Harbor Place and Clementine Street uses imagery that refers to hard work, ("Hammer Clock" and "Anvil and Nails"), to Anaheim's history ("Orange Crates") and to current work habits which are more mental than physical ("Knowse to the Stone"). The Nursery Planter Boxes that are placed along the street are reminiscent of the nursery and agricultural industries. The four "Video Trees" make clear what kinds of work goes on behind the glass facades of the buildings on West Harbor Place. Traffic information is analyzed by Traffic Engineering and used to regulate signals and alert police about congested areas. The public is invited to share with city traffic engineers information they use in doing their jobs.

The "Sinking Canoe", situated just within the City Hall West Parking Structure, cites an early form of transportation, used by the Gabrieleno Indians in the Santa Ana River and other nearby bodies of water. Other references to this region's earliest inhabitants include the "Coyote Bench" and a series of planters modeled after Gabrieleno baskets. The passage of time is announced by "Hammer Clock," a functional element recalling streetside clocks found typically on a Main Street. Its clockface is a map of the world, locating Anaheim in a global setting. The "Video Trees" show actual freeway conditions and provide public meeting information to those who pass by. Real bits and pieces of Anaheim have been incorporated in the Anaheim benches. Fragments of tile, bricks, mortar, cement and other materials were gathered along West Harbor Place by Buster Simpson, taken to his studio in Seattle and incorporated into the bench standards that provide seating throughout Anaheim Center.

The original boundary of Anaheim was marked by willow trees, whose great appetite for water soon imperiled the colony's precious water supply. Water runoff from the "Exchanger Fountain" falls into a tree well where a willow branch has been planted. The fountain has found a use for water that might otherwise be wasted. Water to the fountain is brought up along a spiraling copper pipe which is naturally cooled by the evaporation of the runoff water, The fountain, together with many Anaheim benches, sit in front of the building housing City Hall West, making their reuse and conservation of materials and natural resources particularly appropriate.

Under development by Buster Simpson are works to be installed in the western entrance to the City Hall West parking structure. This installation is being partially funded by the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce and will memorialize early business in Anaheim as well as provide amenities for the adjacent businesses. The art works play a significant role in helping create a unique sense of place. It offers individuality and local history in striking contrast to most new development projects which so often seem interchangeable with one another. It is likely the art along these two city blocks will prompt strong associations and memories for visitors and workers. Hopefully, the art will play a small part in contributing to pride in Anaheim, in its ability to move forward, to build upon its past and to use creative solutions to address the complex issues now facing us.

Our ideas about places are usually images of them. We take a mental picture to remember: we see the Eiffel tower and think of Paris; New York is the Statue of Liberty; Washington D.C. is the Washington Monument. Sometimes we remember certain streets, parks or styles of architecture. Creating a sense of place that is special enough to be remembered is no easy task. From such ancient cultures as the Greeks, Mayans, Egyptians and Chinese to more recent Societies, great effort has been devoted to the image of cities and towns. Public spaces which were enhanced by qreat architecture and art expressed meaning about society's history, purpose and ideals. Today the renewed effort to make public spaces memorable has brought artists back into the picture, giving them challenges to add diversity and richness to our built environment.

The purpose of architecture is easily understood, it provides shelter. The purpose of art is less functional. Art adds a layer of visual information that can tell a story, intrigue and delight the eye and cause the mind to pause. Where buildings can dwarf us with sheer size, art can offer a scale that makes public spaces more inviting. Art in public places can introduce humor whereas buildings usually maintain a solemn face. Because art is subject to personal interpretation more than architecture it frequently creates controversy. Petitions circulated in 19th century Paris to halt the Eiffel Tower. Construction was stopped on the Washington Monument for twenty-five years until arguments about its merits were settled. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial faced extensive opposition, yet today it is by far the most visited site in the nation's capital. The challenge to create public spaces that are unique, that represent a community's history, spirit or aspirations is difficult. Art has played a critical role throughout history in making places special. Today, as one city blurs into another, and one development looks so much like another, the ability for art to help create memorable spaces is needed as much as ever.