Grand Granary

Artist Statement:

A granary is a storage structure for seeds, from simple squirrel caches to intricate rice silos. Animals, like humans, gather and disperse seeds as they cache food, spreading them across the landscape, enabling more trees to sprout. This mutual dependence shapes our world, from the wilds to the city. We see it in the movement of animals along abandoned railways, in the acorn granaries built by the Nisenan people who are indigenous to this land; in the intermingling of native and introduced tree species sprouting along the trail. The Grand Granary gives shape to this process, inspired by nature through careful ecological study. In witnessing this process, we see ourselves as part of this interconnected story of trees, birds, mammals, people, and the land we share.

about the project

The Del Rio Trail is along a five‐mile abandoned railway corridor in the City of Sacramento. To address equity for all residents of Sacramento and to support public space conditions where everyone can be healthy, the Del Rio Trail combines the creation of a trail‐park infrastructure with community-engaged public art along this vital pedestrian corridor. Atlas Lab is one of five juried-select wayfinding artists. The Del Rio Trail art project, led by the City’s Office of Arts and Culture and funded by Clean California grants, brought together 27 artists to create trail-inspired artworks in various disciplines, engaging the community throughout their creative processes. The Del Rio Trail now features 18 permanent artworks created by various artists and artist teams, along with 12 interpretive signs installed along the path.