Editor’s Note: This is the third part in a series on public art in the Tahoe Sierra. Read Part I & II at TheTahoeWeekly.com.
Truckee is rich in culture and history, inspiring people to explore and recreate in its rugged terrain while also promoting commerce and drawing in creative minds. Therefore, it makes sense to enrich the community with public art everywhere, located all around the area among Truckee’s emerging population.
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“Truckee Ants”
Alder Drive & Prosser Dam Road
In the roundabout at the intersection of Alder Drive/Prosser Dam Road are giant metal ant sculptures that seem to stare at vehicles going to and from Truckee. Metal artist Matt Parkhurst originally proposed the idea of installing two ant sculptures. The Town of Truckee decided to purchase six more to make the roundabout appear more like an ant hill.
The eyes on West River Street were yarn bombed by an anonymous crochet artist who calls herself Yarn Gurl.
“Mountain Flowers”
Donner Pass Road & Pioneer Trail
In the roundabout at the intersection of Donner Pass Road and Pioneer Trail, reaching high into the sky at 16 and 18 feet tall, are iron wildflowers. Artist and Gallery 5830’ co-owner Troy Corliss gifted the piece; a lot of his work is intended for large-scale environments. To create “Mountain Flowers,” he enlisted the help of The Mountain Forge, Huldrege & Kull (now NV5), Perennial Landscape & Nursery and JMC Industrial Finishing to provide services and supplies.
Read Part I & II
Use our Public Art map to create your own art tour
“DeRailed”
10065 Donner Pass Road
“DeRailed,” a sculpture created by Bernie LaForest, in front of The Depot is made of repurposed rail steel and part of Truckee Artistic Bike Rack Project commissioned by the Town of Truckee.
“Locomotion No. 4294”
10115 Donner Pass Road
A large metal bike stands between Mountain Home Center and Tahoe Oil & Spice. The metal sculpture, by Fred Besch, was named after 1940 and 1950s scab-forward engines that pulled heavy loads over Donner Pass Summit. Besch collaborated with architect Peter Gerdin, Justin Self of Fusion Craft Works, Kelly Brothers Painting, Inc. and Town of Truckee to complete it. The art shares plaza space with a giant chess board that was created and donated by Truckee Roundhouse Makerspace.
“Victory Highway Eagle Monument”
Donner Pass Road & Spring Street
Originally built in 1928 by Caltrans and the Town of Truckee, this monument was on Old Highway 40 before it was vandalized and taken down. The giant sculpted metal eagle was then relocated to the corner of Spring Street and Donner Pass Road; a rededication event took place in July 1998. The monument pays tribute to Californians who fought in World War I.
Truckee murals
10156 Donner Pass Road & 10050 Bridge St.
Near the Eagle monument, you’ll see the “Truckee, Calif.” mural painted on the side of a brick building in Brickelltown that houses California 89. While on the other end of downtown, there’s a “Welcome to Truckee California” next to the Post Office on Bridge Street.
“High Iron”
10156 Donner Pass Road
”High Iron” by Bernie LaForest of Striker Forge is the most vertical in the Truckee Artistic Bike Rack project. The sculpture is made of rail steel and was commissioned by the Town of Truckee.
“Rusty Ramblers”
Donner Pass Road in Brickelltown
This multipiece metal sculpture, aka “The Band,” is located on the train tracks side of Donner Pass Road in Brickelltown. Created by local artist Anton Standteiner of The Mountain Forge, this is a fun iron depiction featuring lively musicians rocking out on the road. Town of Truckee embraced it as part of the Brickelltown Streetscape improvement project.
“Uplifted”
Bridge & Jibboom Streets
”Uplifted’ was designed by Karin Johnson and created by Karin Johnson and Jewelz Vaio. It sits at the corner of Trout Creek Park and is part of Truckee Public Arts Commission’s Art Bike Rack Project.
West River Street art
10153 West River St.
On a chain-link fence between two abandoned buildings on West River Street, 35 woven eyes of all shapes and sizes peer onto the road. These eyes were yarn bombed by an anonymous crochet artist who calls herself Yarn Gurl. Her purpose was to create art that makes people want to “stop and smell the roses” and remain in the present. Next to the crocheted eyes, three cartoon heads were painted on a building also staring out into the street. They were created by Yon, a San Francisco-based street artist.
“Animal Tracks”
10125 Pine Ave.
Next to Tahoe Forest Hospital is “Animal Tracks,” a steel bike-rack sculpture featuring paw prints of local animals created by artist Kevin Kremler as part of the Truckee Artistic Bike Rack Project.
“Building Communities”
Truckee River Regional Park
This project includes steel parts from the San Francisco Bay Bridge that is now the Kids Train Platform. It was the brainchild of Anton “Toni” Standteiner of Mountain Forge.
“Martis Sculpture”
Soaring Way & Truckee Airport Road
”Martis Sculpture” was created by Anton Standteiner of The Mountain Forge and commissioned by the Town of Truckee. The flow and style of the sculpture honors the Native American people who once inhabited Martis Valley. It stands in front of the Martis Outlook professional building.
“Community As Ecosystem”
8924 Donner Pass Road
The mural “Community As Ecosystem” celebrates all who came together to help fund Truckee’s Aquatic Center and is located inside the Truckee Community Swimming Pool building.
“The Feather”
8924 Donner Pass Road
”The Feather,” also part of the Truckee Artistic Bike Rack Project, was designed by Lauren Bello Okerman and is made of powder-coated steel. The art serves as a bike rack in front of the Truckee Donner Recreation & Park District.
Glenshire
Heart Stump sculpture
Glenshire Drive
This red wooden sculpture on Glenshire Drive was created out of a tree stump. The sculpture is harder to see than the wooden heart sculpture on Highway 267 near Northstar that as featured in Part I of the series. You can spot it on the left-hand side of Glenshire Drive as you are heading westbound into Truckee. It’s carved on a hillside. Look for it after completing the curve in the road.
Donner Lake
“Pioneer Monument”
Donner Memorial State Park
The more than 100-year-old “Pioneer Monument” was dedicated on June 6, 1918, and was erected in honor of all who made the difficult trek across the western plains and mountains to reach California during the 1840s. It was placed near the site of the cabins that gave shelter to the Donner Party.
“El Dragon”
West End Beach
”El Dragon” is another project of the Truckee Artistic Bike Rack Project. It came to life with the help of Mountain Forge and is based on the design of then second graders Hope Smith and Florian Standteiner. It is meant to honor the Chinese who worked on the railroad in Truckee.
Petroglyphs
Old Highway 40
On Donner Summit, you can see ancient petroglyphs that were carved into stone by Native Americans. The petroglyphs are marked with a historic sign on the side of Old Highway 40 (Donner Pass Road).
Donner Summit
“Snowshoe Thompson” statue
19865 Boreal Ridge Road
One of the region’s statues commemorating Snowshoe Thompson, the legendary mail carrier who crossed the Sierra 180 miles roundtrip on skis to carry the mail from Genoa, Nev., to Placerville from 1856 to 1876, is located outside the Western Ski Sports Museum next to Boreal Mountain resort. Another is located in the Village at Squaw Valley.
