SAN ANTONIO — The City of San Antonio is expanding accessibility at Miller’s Pond Park through a public art project that will add artwork to an accessible walkway and install mosaic benches featuring wildlife found around the park.
The Department of Arts & Culture is carrying out the project as part of the city’s 2022-27 Bond program.
Visual artist Angela Weddle, who lives with multiple disabilities and sometimes uses a power wheelchair, designed the project after drawing from her own experiences navigating public spaces.
“When (a panel of community members) chose an artist and happened to be me to design it, I was especially happy to be a disabled artist to work on a project about accessibility because often we’re not included in conversations about accessibility,” Weddle said.
The project will add engraved artwork to an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant walkway leading toward the park’s fishing pier. It also will feature specially designed benches with wildlife mosaics.
Weddle said workers will position the benches to give wheelchair users access to views around the park rather than confining them to designated areas.
Miller’s Pond also features a fishing pier and a roughly one-mile walking trail, which Weddle said attracts anglers, older residents and other visitors who need places to rest.
Artist draws from lived experience
David De Los Santos of Blazing Laser Art & Engraving said his team will carve Weddle’s artwork into the concrete walkway.
De Los Santos said the team uses a direct-pressure blasting process to engrave concrete, glass, stone and other materials.
He said workers will carefully control the depth of the engravings to prevent tripping hazards.
“The ADA standard is a quarter inch, and we try to stay within an eighth of an inch,” De Los Santos said.
Weddle, who traditionally works in two-dimensional media, said cerebral palsy can make three-dimensional design challenging. She also said autism has contributed to her focus on detailed work.
Her work includes drawing, painting, printmaking, digital art and animation.
“I’m not supposed to be able to draw because I really lack the motor skills,” Weddle said. “But for whatever reason, my brain said we’re doing this anyway.”
Project gives artist new opportunity
Weddle received the Miller’s Pond project shortly before learning that her mother had a terminal illness. Her mother died Sept. 14 last year.
Weddle said her disability has made traditional employment difficult because of unpredictable physical conditions and transportation challenges.
She said working as an artist has allowed her to pursue opportunities that her mother hoped would eventually help her become self-sufficient.
Weddle also previously lost everything in Hurricane Katrina in her hometown of New Orleans.
She said the Miller’s Pond project has given her an opportunity to contribute to a community that has supported her through difficult experiences.
“Public art helps to support people in your community and to show that disabled people, we absolutely contribute to the community,” Weddle said.
She said accessible design can allow more people to use public spaces while also giving disabled artists opportunities to help shape those spaces.
The Miller’s Pond Park accessibility project is expected to finish next year.
