Activities for Kids

Interactive Public Art for the Whole Family

Prove to the kids once and for all that art can be fun (and free)!

By Amanda Freerksen May 23, 2016

If one more museum guard gives you the evil eye because your preschooler is giggling and imitating dance moves in front of a Degas painting, then it’s time to take a new approach to art appreciation. San Diego is brimming with interactive public art — you just need to know where to look. Here’s your guide to installations around the county that invite participants to sit on, play with, touch, look and listen to art.

Musical Installation on the 25th Street Overpass

Grab a rhythm stick from the kids’ musical instruments stash and head on down to this bridge located over the 94 Freeway in the Golden Hill neighborhood near downtown San Diego. This installation was created by artist Roman de Salvo and composer Joseph Waters. The piece, called Crab Carillon, is made up of 488 chimes attached to the metal rails along the bridge. It is a musical palindrome, which means it plays the same song forward and backward, so it doesn’t matter if you start at the G Street side or the F Street side. Play the song by gently tapping each chime as you walk across the bridge, basically in the same manner your budding Mozart slides a mallet along his or her xylophone. The noise of the freeway means it will be difficult to record the song on your smartphone, but your little musician will hear it just fine.

Insider’s Tip: You’ll find plenty of street parking on G or F streets. If bellies start to grumble, you can grab a sit-down snack at nearby Counterpoint.

25th St. between G and F
San Diego, Ca
Online: sandiego.gov/arts-culture/publicart/civicart/browsecoll

Did we miss your favorite interactive public artwork? Tell us about it in the comments below.

— Amanda Freerksen (photos too, unless otherwise noted)