“Safety in Art” Grand Opening
- Michele Adams
- May 27
- 3 min read
The Ivins City Arts Commission is excited to celebrate the grand opening of the “Safety in Art” project on Thursday, June 4th. Led by Ivins Inspired with support from the Arts Commission, this pilot project uses asphalt art to help visually narrow traffic lanes, encourage slower driving speeds and increase driver awareness around pedestrian crossings.
“Safety in Art: Enhancing Safety and Connecting Generations,” is a collaborative public art and pedestrian safety project at the existing roundabout and four crosswalks at Center Street and Red Mountain Boulevard & N 200 E. This intersection is a key community connector linking Rocky Vista University, the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Red Mountain Elementary School, and surrounding neighborhoods.
Inspired in part by research from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative, the project grew out of community conversations about pedestrian safety following an accident near Vista School last year. The effort brought together partners including Ivins City, Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety, Utah Tech University Art Department, Vista School, Rocky Vista University, the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Strong Towns, and the Southern Utah Bicycle Alliance (SUBA). Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety conducted a two-week traffic study to help evaluate the project’s impact after installation.
Utah Tech student artist, Nicki Douberley’s design was selected for the project. Douberly, 23, is going into her senior year at Utah Tech, majoring in animation. During her time in college, she had the opportunity to explore many different forms of visual storytelling and creative design. This helped shape her artistic style and confidence as an artist. Working on projects like Safety in Art has given Nicki the chance to show how art can create a connection within a community and turn everyday spaces into something memorable.
The inspiration behind the roundabout paint design came from wanting to create something vibrant and hard to miss to help prevent speeding through high-traffic areas. Nicki used the flow of the Southern Utah mountains as inspiration for the swirling pattern, and she chose colors from the provided palette that best represented Southern Utah’s desert landscape. The block design was created as an accent to the roundabout, using the same colors in a simpler pattern that stands out without distracting from the main design. Nicki attributes her success to Utah Tech professor, Brian Astle, for working with her to bring the designs to life.
Special thanks to Tiffany Wynn and Ivins Inspired for spearheading this years-long project, and Ivins own Straight Stripe Painting, Inc. for their expertise and partnership throughout the project.
Ribbon Cutting: June 4th 9 AM: Center Street & Red Mountain Boulevard & N 200 E
Ivins Community Celebration & Freedom 250 Experience
In addition to celebrating the new roundabout art installation, the Ivins Community Celebration & Freedom 250 Experience on Thursday, June 4 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM will give residents an opportunity to engage with the developing Ivins Arts Districts and help shape the future of public art and gathering spaces in our community. Hosted by Ivins City, the Ivins City Arts Commission, Ivins Inspired, and the Ivins City AARP Age-Friendly Community Team, the event will include art activities, community booths, and opportunities for residents to share ideas about the identity and character of each Arts District. The celebration begins at the Center Street & Red Mountain Boulevard & N 200 E roundabout and continues with a short community walk to the Freedom 250 Truck and Community Celebration area near Veterans Park and the Southern Utah Veterans Home.
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