UC Davis project gives city new art installations, students hands-on experience
UC Davis students are getting the chance to enhance downtown Davis by creating structures where people can gather. The concept behind the design pays homage to a longtime Davis tradition.
The structures are called follies and were completely designed and built by students from start to finish.
"Just giving people the option to stand around it, there's a coffee bar on the side, or just hang out on the bench," said Miabella Nicasio, a landscape architecture student at UC Davis.
Nicasio was one of the lead designers who helped create three of the follies, which were commissioned by the City of Davis. The project provided students with hands-on, real-world experience that can sometimes be difficult to replicate in a classroom setting.
"To see how people are going to use it and how it's going to work for them and how it will work with the city has been a nice break from on campus," said Haven Kiers, a landscape architecture professor at UC Davis.
Now, Nicasio and other students' work is paying off, giving people a place to take a load off.
"Just seeing people walk up to it, use it, and I think it's an experience that not many students get to have," Nicasio said.
The project also comes at a special time, as Davis celebrates 50 years of the Davis Farmers Market. The design itself takes inspiration from the curved roof of the Davis Farmers Market pavilion.
"We just wanted a way to pay an honorable nod to the role the farmers market plays in our community and how it's impacted our local economy," said Rachel Hartsough, the City of Davis Arts and Culture Manager.
Technically considered public art installations, the follies have already seen plenty of use. City leaders say the structures are meant to be multi-functional, with people frequently stopping by to do work, grab coffee, or simply spend time with others.
"Just seeing people walk up to it, use it, and I think it's an experience that not many students get to have," Nicasio said.
If you'd like to check out the follies, two of them are located at Second and E Street. The third is located at the Davis Amtrak station.
