Displayed along Prado West’s corridors—aptly named the “Halls of Public Expression”—is a series of public artwork for both visitors and residents to view.
The three pieces of art temporarily adorning the hallway walls are part of the city’s Art in Public Places program, meant to encourage developers to incorporate art on their properties, specifically in public-facing areas.
For Prado West, Raintree Partners intends to source new artists, rotating some of the artwork every six months based on new themes. Raintree Partners’ second rotation of artwork, installed on Tuesday, Dec. 27, is centered around the Dana Point Harbor.
“The theme I gave them for this round … was I wanted to pay tribute to the harbor with the renovations that are happening,” Raintree Partners Marketing Manager Hannah Bailey said. “So, we did the harbor, but then it kind of morphed into just life on the water and sailing and whales and such.”
The theme will always be related to Dana Point and the city’s public art guidelines, Bailey added.
“Every six months, we’re going to rotate the art, figure out a place for them, and it’s all local; the theme will never be something out of the ordinary,” Bailey said. “It actually has to fall within the city’s public art guidelines, which is like anything Dana Point-related, Dana Point history, anything about marine life, surf, elements of Dana Point.”
Raintree Partners Managing Director Jason Check partnered with Carlsbad artist Bryan Snyder to find different artists to create pieces for the Prado West development.
Each artwork has a plaque with the artist’s name and a blurb about the idea behind the piece.
“So, ideally, if people are coming to Prado Square or going to Bear Coast or going to yoga over at YogaSix, they could walk through these halls and see the art,” Bailey said.
“Or you can go this way to get to Dana Point Ale House or the other restaurants that are opening over here,” Bailey continued, walking down the corridor, which houses two pieces of artwork, leading to the taproom.
One piece of artwork down that corridor was designed by students from Dana Hills South Orange County School of the Arts (SOCSA).
Bailey said that she’d like to make the SOCSA-designed artwork a permanent piece at Prado West, adding that Raintree Partners has incorporated the design into its social media posts of Prado Square.
Raintree Partners aims to host pop-up events in Prado Square, bringing more Dana Point residents and visitors into the area and walking through Prado West to enjoy the art as well, Bailey said.
Prado West is also home to a 40- by 30-foot lantern mural, “Guiding Light,” which pays homage to the Lantern District’s history.
Raintree Partners recently unveiled a QR code displayed on a plaque below the mural, which, when scanned, shows an augmented reality animation of the lantern coming to life and shining light on a whale that swims across the surface of the building.
Both the mural and rotating art in Prado Square are part of the city’s Art in Public Places program.
“With new developments, it’s kind of scary for a lot of people, and I think that the art keeps that local charm throughout,” Bailey said. “Just creating projects for local artists, too, and space for their work to be displayed, which I think is pretty cool. Hopefully, the public enjoys it.”
Raintree Partners aims to reach out to Dana Point residents to submit artwork ideas for future rotations in the “Halls of Public Expression.”
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