Work begins on Segovia traffic circle sculptures in Coral Gables

More than a year after being approved by Coral Gables commissioners, two new colorful sculptures are being installed at the traffic circles along Segovia Street.

In November 2014, the city commission unanimously approved the installation of two sculptures on Segovia — at Biltmore Way and Coral Way — that were designed by New York-based artist and sculptor Alice Aycock. The city said the two installations will be the first major public art pieces since the city’s early days.

The installation work is already under way and will take place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the two circles. The process is estimated to be finished by April.

Aycock’s sculptures are inspired in part by the passion flower and are slightly different. The sculpture on Biltmore is the larger centerpiece of the installation and features two flower designs, while the Coral Way sculpture is imagined to be a flower flowing in the breeze to a new spot.

Carol Damian, former director of the Patricia and Philip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University, served on a judging panel of art experts to select the artist for the installation and said she believes it’s a unique and special treat for the city.

“I think it’s going to be a destination kind of artwork,” Damian said during her presentation at the November 2014 commission meeting.

The judging panel considered more than 180 submissions from international artists and recommended Aycock’s project.

The artworks were funded through a combination of $1 million in Neighborhood Resource Project bond funds, a $40,000 National Endowment of the Arts grant and $35,000 of in-kind horticultural services from Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden.

The construction work may result in temporary partial road closures and some street parking restrictions.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Work begins on Segovia traffic circle sculptures in Coral Gables."