Title: Untitled
Artist: Kada Goalen
Material: paint and mosaic
Murals of eight birds and other imagery adorn the walls and four pillars of the lower level and knee wall of the upper levels of this bus rapid transit station.
This BRT station, located between the north and south lanes of I-35W and straddling the eastbound and westbound lanes of Lake Street, was designed to receive public art after its completion. Through a public call for artists, several artists were reviewed by a selection panel that included community members. Kada Goalen was selected to cover more than 7,000 square feet of wall space with her mural of birds and color. Kada brought in some additional artists, Cara Hernandez and Lara Estrada, to design and paint the images on the end walls. Stacia Goodman Mosaics was brought in to create mosaic highlights for the birds on the pillars. Kada also worked with many people to help paint the walls, including a day for the community to help paint. The birds are fictional hummingbirds and songbirds.
Kada Goalen has been creating colorful artwork and murals for more than 20 years. She is the founder of Kada Creative and creates murals for public, residential, and commercial spaces.
“Art provides a medium to share voices creatively, engage the community purposefully, and reflect the values of an owner, community, or organization in a way that resonates with them.”
Artist’s Website: kada-creative.com/
The murals at I35W-Lake Street Station were originally envisioned as part of the I-35W Transit/Access Project’s Public Art Framework Plan, published back in January 2015. Some of the specific areas for art were identified in that document, as well as a variety of visual precedents. Quite a bit of this initial planning has come to fruition, primarily through Kada’s project but also with the Green Crescent horse sculpture, the color LED lighting system, MnDOT “wave” pattern bridge walls, Metro Transit’s blue feature walls in the lobbies, etc. A work in progress!
