Scale Model

Proposed Location

Official Submission: Santa Barbara Public Art Proposal Exhibition

Title:The What If

Artist: Shelby Scudder; the community of Santa Barbara

Size: Overall footprint: 16.6' W x 7.5' H x 4.5' D; Sun: 77" H x 78" W (6.4' H x 6.5' W;

Mountain: 90" H x 81" W (7.5' H x 6.75' W); Wave: 64" H x 106" W (5.33' H x 8.83' W)

Medium: Powder coated steel reinforced with rebar, set in a cement base. Ideally built in collaboration with David Shelton.

Colors: Channel Islands Barrel Blue; California Poppy Orange; Dusk-lit Mountains Lavender.

Suggested Location: On the grassy triangle sandwiched within Cabrillo Blvd and the walking path, between Skater's Point and Stearn’s Wharf, with the ocean and the pier in the background.

Scale: The Maquette represents the sculpture in 1 : 9 scale.

Concept: The What If is a large-scale public artwork crafted in vibrant powder coated steel that sits in the palm tree dotted grass between the pier, Cabrillo Boulevard, and the skate park. It is a joyful and lively sculpture that celebrates the spirit of Santa Barbara and its unique landscape at the sunshiny convergence of coastline and mountaintops.

Furthermore, The What If exists as an ever-willing and open-ended canvas of creativity for other artists. The metal grid within the sculpture's playful exterior shape serves as a gallery to exhibit existing artworks, or on which to create new ones.

In a world so heavily reliant on screens and technology, The What If serves as an ongoing space to create and connect in real life, placing value in the power of both art and human connection.

But what if it is used as a bike rack, accumulates trash, or is vandalized? What if.But what if it becomes a conversation piece of the community? What if we see a whole new world of diverse creativity within our town we've yet to discover exists?

What if a florist takes all the leftover blooms from an elaborate wedding and weaves them into The What If and creates a stunning floral wall? What if a young boy walks by and sees that his deep love of plants is not only shared by others, but has potential beyond which he ever imagined?

What if a newly bereaved widower drives by and spots the favorite flower of his partner, and feels, for a moment, that she is with him again?

What if an aspiring teen artist hangs his paintings on The What If and people of all ages come to talk to him about his work and what it means to them, and he finds connection he wouldn't have otherwise experienced or thought relevant with people thrice his age; half his age.

What if another teen observes him bravely showing his private work so publicly and then thinks that maybe she too could risk sharing her artwork with the world, that maybe it wouldn't be so scary or label her as "weird" after all. What if a decade later she has her first solo exhibit at the MCASB.

What if by eliminating the prestige, permanence, and formality of a gallery, unique ideas arise from the casual, short- term, unpretentious, equal-opportunity nature of this public display place? What might we create or get to experience? Were it to exist, this is an answer artists and viewers could answer again and again.

What if?

It is not naiveté to believe in the good and potential of people, to believe in the power of creation and community and connection and joy; to find excitement in possibility. It is, in fact, exactly what makes life worth living.