Delightful art, murals & sculpture makes places memorable
RSM Design creates & curates artful moments of delight through public art, murals, and interactive designs. We work with the consultant team to develop design programs that compliment the art elements for an engaging environment.
We are tasked with creating graphic murals as well as establishing guidelines for curated commissioned art from local artists or international professionals. These guidelines establish the look & feel of potential mural art or public sculpture. Many of our projects feature delightful and surprisingly fun interactive art that adds action to an otherwise static element. A brightly colored wall or community created mural can have a large impact with low cost. These public artworks often become Instagram opportunities which drive traffic to the project.
Providing people with an engaging, passive place to linger, as well as spaces to visit and arrive, gives value to landlords leasing commercial and retail spaces. Many forward-thinking developers and businesses are realizing this value and adding public art component to projects, understanding that the appreciation for public art spans from baby boomers to millennials.
USING PUBLIC ART TO ADD VALUE TO PROJECTS
You’ve probably seen them at some point in your life, standing boldly on a curbside, emblazoned with a state flag or bright graphics and typographic statements– the Cows. The Cow Parade is the world’s largest public art event. After debuting in Chicago in 1999, more than 250 million people have seen these famous cows. Over a decade and 5,000 cows later, the parade spans across the globe, reaching every state and most countries, offering local artists a chance to create a statement utilizing the terrain of a cow’s anatomy.
Much has changed since 1999 and the value and perception of public art has evolved into something quite different. In the early 2000’s Banksy, a British street artist used stencils to create provocative visual statements about politics and the world. Using blighted streetscapes, cracks in walls, broken curbs and abandoned buildings as creative inspiration, Banksy transformed the way in which pop culture and political cartoons reach an audience. The documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop” released in 2010 exposed street art to a new generation. Once considered graffiti and a public nuisance, public street art is now purchased by celebrities and rock stars, sold as high-ticket items by such reputable art houses as Sotheby’s.
The change and evolution of public art can be attributed to the community of everyday people turning into art curators through the use of technology and social media, Calum Sutton, the head of a global communication agency, recently told Business Life Magazine. “With the growth of social media, everyone is now a photographer and looking more closely at their environment,” Sutton said. “It would follow that more businesses are seeing the value of commissioning excellent public art to help both define their buildings and engage with their audiences.”
Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and the other social media platforms are virtual galleries offering an audience of millions–all with an opinion and just a finger tap away from a “like.” Artists now have the ability to reach prolific status without the need for a storefront gallery or huge monetary investment. Providing space for artists to contribute to this arena as part of the new urban fabric adds more to a bottom line than parking spaces and green roofs.
Located in Stanton, California, Rodeo 39 is quickly becoming known as the street art gallery. As you approach the project three large murals greet you on the exterior buildings. Inside the market hall the demising walls between tenants showcases local and international artists as well.
The exterior artwork, designed and installed by RSM Design, consist of three murals that span over 2500 square feet of wall space. When designing the signage and graphics for Rodeo 39 RSM Design creatively approached the wayfinding for the project. The Stanton sign codes strictly regulate size and quantity for identity signage. RSM Design proposed using large wall mural installations as primary wayfinding elements, creating not only visual landmarks, but beautifying the neighborhood at the same time.
The murals were specifically designed for a specific function at each location. One mural acts as an abstract artistic version of a project ID along the primary road. Another mural incorporates a stylized arrow pattern to be used as a directional. The final and largest mural was designed to be the eye catching pop of color directing your eyes to the entrance of the Public Market.
Three weeks of painting and 37 different colors of paint later, the Rodeo 39 murals are complete. Check out the video below to watch the murals come to life.