Great Moments in Public Art

Don't ever doubt the power of art.
This year marks the sixth anniversary of one of the greatest episodes in the history of American public art.
Look at the photo. See that "North 5" located on the far left of the sign that says "110 Pasadena?" It is not really supposed to be there. Well, it should be there, but state transportation officials had nothing to do with its installation.
By 2001, Southern California artist Richard Ankrom was tired of getting lost while trying to transition from the northbound 110 Freeway to the northbound 5 Freeway.
The confusing stretch of roadway lacked appropriate signage.
Ankrom could have called Caltrans -- the California Department of Transportation -- to complain, but he is an artist. Why not strike back at the confusion with art?
That is exactly what he did!
Using official sign specifications he had collected from the Internet and other sources, Ankrom MADE HIS OWN MODIFICATION to the overhead sign.
He added the "North" and the "5" shield to help fellow motorists navigate that tricky stretch of Los Angeles freeway. Because he followed the official specifications, the signs look exactly like the "real thing."
Ankrom even disguised himself as a Caltrans worker and performed the modifications in broad daylight.
In fact, word of his attack of art probably wouldn't have surfaced except, being an artist, Ankrom videotaped his escapade and began showing the short film at art galleries.
The insatiable Southern California media had a big story on its hands.
When they found out, officials could have cracked down on Ankrom -- probably for trespassing and possibly for defacing public property -- but they would have faced the wrath of a public that cheered the artist's actions.
Officials wisely left the modifications alone, and drivers on the 110 Freeway had a better sense of where to find the junction with the 5 Freeway.
Actually, a Caltrans official has since said the agency will keep the Ankrom change as it upgrades freeway signs in coming years.
On his Web site, located here, Ankrom defends his sign modification -- "guerrilla public service" he calls it -- as an attempt "to prove the integrity of the arts, its place in culture and why civilization needs it."
Here, here!