For the 16th anniversary of the Public Art Network Year in Review, we offered the selected applicants and artists the opportunity to tell us the stories behind their works. This week's blog salon features the stories behind some of the most compelling public art projects completed in 2015.

In 2012 El Paso was introduced to Mathew Geller at Chalk the Block, the city’s annual public art festival. The cool mist spraying from his interactive sculpture “Woozy Blossom” provided a welcome break from the hot El Paso sun.

Around this time, the city was looking at ways to connect the established cultural district to the growing entertainment district. Working with noted Urban Design firm Dover Kohl, we developed plans for a pedestrian pathway that would transform a parking lot into a physical connection linking these two districts and encompassing the existing convention center plaza.

With the support of a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant, we were able to engage the community in helping design a pathway that would create space to display and showcase major art elements in a space that covers about three city blocks. We knew the space would need an iconic piece that would anchor the pathway and provide a landmark to guide visitors along their way.

We remembered the community response to “Woozy Blossom” and knew Matthew was the right artist to create a piece for this space. Matthew’s sculptures turn underutilized environments like sprawling open spaces into a gathering place where visitors feel the need to engage with the art.

We wanted an interactive piece that would transform the space and create a focal point for visitors traveling the pathway. What was created is “Chroma Booster,” a modern fountain that uses the industrial landscape of railroad tracks and warehouses as inspiration.

“Chroma Booster” plays on the tradition of having a fountain in large public gathering spaces. The 55-foot tall painted pipes invited visitors to the pathway to cool off in the mist or play with other features that will send water cascading on their friends.

Before the El Paso Chihuahuas take the field at Southwest University Park, baseball fans can be seen meeting or relaxing at “Chroma Booster.” During downtown events like Street Fest and Earth Day, the mist provides a welcome break from the desert heat.

“Chroma Booster” is an excellent example of how public art can help transform a space. Now that the Pedestrian Pathway is complete, visitors can see how art can be transformational and repurpose something utilitarian like a parking lot into a vibrant public meeting space.