San Antonio ceramist Diana Kersey’s works often involve nature, and her latest public art piece is no exception.
“Creatures of the Creek: A Fragile Balance,” which can be found downtown in front of Goodwill, comprises two sets of sculptures a few feet apart. Each depicts all kinds of larger-than-life critters native to the San Pedro Creek, which flows just a few blocks away.
In one, the animals are loose and free, many of them decked with bright red flowers. A turtle kicks back beside a kingfisher, and a gigantic anole lizard is hosting a cardinal on its back while providing shade to a bunny and an armadillo.
In the other, animals are squished into geometric forms. That includes a great big ball of fish with a crested caracara jutting from one side and a tightly coiled snake on top, as well as insects creeping along a cylinder and a sweet-faced raccoon pressed into a corner.
A crawfish also is tucked into that one, evoking another of Kersey’s public art pieces. Her much larger crawfish is part of the San Pedro Creek Culture Park. The whimsical work stands beside the El Paso Parking Lot.
“These sculptures remind us that the way our city grows and changes affects the animals who share our space,” Kersey said in a video she posted to her Instagram page about the installation. “It asks us to notice the wildlife we may overlook in our daily lives.”
The Gallery:
The public art piece is near the corner of Commerce and Santa Rosa streets.
The Work:
“Creatures of the Creek: A Fragile Balance”