SkyDance Bridge Named One of Top 50 Public Art Projects in the Nation

Standing 192 feet above the highway and 380 feet long, Oklahoma City’s new SkyDance Bridge is no small matter. Neither is the fact that the spectacular structure was named one of the 50 best public art projects by the 2012 Public Art Network Year in Review by Americans for the Arts. Check out the striking pictures!

The amazing SkyDance Bridge was inspired by the scissor-tailed flycatcher, Oklahoma’s state bird. The structure spans I-40 near Harvey Avenue and is in the heart of the eventual MAPS 3 downtown park, slated to begin construction next year.

SkyDance Bridge’s design team is made of Hans Butzer, Laurent Massenat, Ken Fitzsimmons, Chris Ramseyer, David Wanzer, Jeremy Gardner, and Stan Carroll, who said, “SkyDance Bridge exemplifies what public art should be for a community.” What better way to really embrace Oklahoma culture than with a magnificent structure that embodies such an important part of the state’s history, the state bird.

The Year in Review program identifies the most cutting edge and exemplary public art either created or released in the last year. The 2012 winners were picked from over 390 works in 147 cities, 40 states, and 3 countries.
Jean Greer, principal at the Public Art Collaborative; Daniel Mihalyo, architect/artist at Lead Pencil Studio; and Celia Munoz, artist, curated this year’s Year in Review and announced their decisions on June 7 at San Antonio’s Americans for the Arts Public Art Pre-conference.

The amazing SkyDance Bridge was inspired by the scissor-tailed flycatcher, Oklahoma’s state bird. The structure spans I-40 near Harvey Avenue and is in the heart of the eventual MAPS 3 downtown park, slated to begin construction next year.

Other recognized Oklahoma City Public Art Projects include the Oklahoma City National Memorial, by Hans Butzer (design team member for the SkyDance Bridge), Torre Butzer, and Sven Berg (2000) and The History of Bricktown, gorgeous mosaic murals, by Susan Morrison.

You’re certainly doin’ fine, Oklahoma! Have you seen the famous bridge yet?