The Port of San Diego’s seventh harvest of Urban Trees line the North Embarcadero waterfront. Thirty new sculptures have been selected for Urban Trees 7 and are “planted” for a half-mile along Harbor Drive from the Cruise Ship Terminal to Hawthorn Street.

Urban Trees have become a popular destination within a destination and an engaging, changing and enjoyable public art experience for thousands of visitors drawn to this picturesque bayfront. Artists responding to a national call were invited to apply their creative energies to the design of artistic "trees" that would add interest, form, color and fun to the waterfront. From 82 entries, these 30 artworks were commissioned for the Urban Trees 7 exhibit, which extends for a half-mile along Harbor Drive, from the Cruise Ship Terminal to Hawthorn Street. Along the way, visitors can enjoy other attractions including the USS Midway, the Maritime Museum, San Diego Harbor Excursion, Hornblower Cruises, and outstanding waterfront dining.

Sponsored by the Port's Public Art Department, the Urban Tree exhibitions were conceived as a means to activate the North Embarcadero pedestrian promenade and enhance the aesthetic enjoyment of the waterfront with a variety of unique and original artworks.This year’s exhibit of Urban Trees is diverse and creative. There isn’t a common theme and each tree is completely unique. There are abstract sculptures that have nothing arboreal about them. There are some that resemble old industrial machines, and some that are sleek and shiny. Some of them relay messages about protecting the environment and protecting the ocean. Others are simply fun and lighthearted. For an interactive map with information about each "trees" location, click here.

Each "tree" planted along Harbor Drive is for sale by the artist. Prices vary. For more information contact the Port's Public Art Department.

1. "Tempest"

Ron Jermyn

The theme for this artwork stems from the artist's ongoing work on a series titled "Oceans," which seeks to capture the motion and energy that are expressed in the fluid form of waves, conveying an image that people relate to on a visceral level. The 18-foot tall sculpture is constructed of steel and cement plaster with an acrylic enamel finish.

2. "Tree Pose"

Brennan Hubbell

The idea for this artwork stemmed from yoga. It depicts a person balancing on one leg impersonating a tree. The arms in this pose are raised to suggest branches reaching for the sky. This lightweight concrete sculpture is meant to encourage viewers to stand still for a moment and imagine what it feels like to be a tree.

3. "Zoofrica"

Darya Doctorsky

This artwork is the labor of the artist's love for the San Diego Zoo and its work saving her favorite animals – elephants and rhinos – from extinction. The Wild Animal Park has the world's most successful rhino and elephant breeding programs. Urban zoos may become the final salvation for endangered species. The artwork is constructed from painted marine grade plywood panels.

4. "Pieces of the Search"

Kyle Kjoller

This sleek, steel and colored glass artwork stands 10 feet tall. A large, curving stem ends with a bloom adorned with colored glass. Three fin-shaped leaves complete the design. The artist clear-coated the steel to preserve the natural finish.

5. "23rd Century Palm"

Glenn Vogel

This kinetic aluminum sculpture of a palm tree epitomizes the artist's love for palm trees in San Diego and his techno approach to sculpture. Each highly polished palm frond turns independently with the wind. The 11-foot tall artwork also features aluminum patinaed coconuts.

6. "Bayside Dance"

Frank Lee Cota

What could be better than to work, play and live in the beautiful place called San Diego? This is the artist's inspiration, capturing the essence of San Diego's night life through this vibrant shimmering sculpture. The dancing woman represents the ultimate expression of fun and entertainment the Embarcadero waterfront has to offer for tourists and locals alike. 

7. "Nature's Berth"

Anne Oshman

In this sculpture, a butterfly and a parade of ants play in one of nature's harbors. We sit under trees, lie in the grass and enjoy the scent of flowers. Likewise, species of all kinds find a place of their own within nature's structures. This 13-foot tall flower tree is made with fiberglass, styrofoam and stained glass.

8. "Dancing with the Stars"

Salma Arastu

The artist likes to represent joy and celebration of life in her paintings and sculptures. Here the figures are connected with continuous, lyrical lines that form shapes and spaces. The spaces may show changing vignettes, like pieces of life as it goes by. The steel dancing figures represent resolute strength in performance.

9. "Up-Rooted"

Sarah Wilkinson

Inspired by Southern California coastline seaweed, the "Up-rooted" tree represents how our fragile natural and man-made environments are uprooted by natural disasters: storms, mudslides and earthquakes. Twelve succulents called Dudleya Edulis 'San Diego Live Forever' are planted at the base of the artwork to represent one tree for every 100,000 residents that have taken root in San Diego.

10. "Can you say Pooper Schooner"

Neal & Tiffany Bociek

This artwork is a lighthearted, brightly- colored nautical sculpture that explores the adventurous, fun-loving and loyal nature of man's best friend while celebrating one of San Diego's favorite pastimes: sailing. This piece balances formalism and whimsy while also playing with familiar imagery to bring to life the sensation of movement and sailing.

11. "Sea Level"

Kim Ogburn

This artwork is an above-and-below water view of a lively southern California kelp bed. Native birds and fish feed and use this ecosystem, from the living raft at the surface down through the kelp's branches connecting it to the ocean floor. The strength of the rock-bound holdfast keeps the giant kelp and its inhabitants secure.

12. "Precision"

Ken Smith

This stainless steel sculpture reflects the agility, playfulness and precision for which dolphins are known. Standing 13-feet tall, the dolphin balances a polished stainless steel ball on its nose while leaping through a hoop.

13. "One Fish, Two Fish....."

Carolyn Guerra

This artwork features a woman with fish for arms and tailfins for fingers. Balancing on a pile of fish, she wears a red fish on her head and a fish motif for hair. The ceramic glazes, glass and shiny metal sparkle in the sun in contrast to the subdued stained concrete finish. Her colorful presence provides a warm welcome to visitors.

14. "Sea Totem"

Joey Vaiasuso

This sculpture is a symbol of solitude and respect. It brings together the land, the sea and the sky, yet stands alone to emphasize and appreciate nature and how its individual elements come together. "Sea Totem" stands eight feet tall and is constructed of steel.

15. "Liberation"

Brandon Roth

The concept for this tree was to create a feeling of childhood and whimsy. The idea evokes thoughts of fairy tales and stirs memories of make-believe. The birds have been freed in this piece, signifying a liberation and freedom from, not just confinement, but any restraint that life brings. The artwork is made from steel tubing and recycled aluminum cans.

16. "Behind the Puppetree"

Smadar Samson

This playful, brightly-colored, multi-layered metal sculpture tickles viewers into looking behind the camouflage. Swaying in the wind, the puppets form a power play that can be viewed through whimsical, ecological or ideological prisms. The puppetry at the front of the urban tree offers a new perspective when seen from behind.

17. "Grand Finale"

Jennifer Cannon

The highlight at the end of a great show is the grand finale. Depicted here as a bright fireworks display, five colored rods trace the path of shooting stars as they wind upwards to light up the night sky. Grand Finale celebrates the excitement of the Embarcadero and entices us to look forward to the future.

18. "Hello, Is this the Pacific?"

Sergey Gornushkin

The concept for this sculpture is lighthearted and whimsical in nature, and yet it demonstrates the important fact of how greatly the world is interconnected and the growing understanding that, in nature, this global connectivity has existed all along. The artwork is made of fiberglass over polystyrene foam with a durable metallic paint finish.

19. "Dancing in Primary"

M. Helsenrott Hochhauser

The human form, dancing in a free and unrestricted space, is the basis for this artwork. Five silhouette dancing figures move freely in space, expressing a feeling of gaiety and freedom of movement with rhythm and harmony of life. The steel and aluminum sculpture was created to give the viewer a feeling of fun and humor.

20. "Torsion Waves"

Lia Strell

This artwork features two billowing waves, with one rotating smoothly and slowly within the larger wave in response to the wind. The waves are welded aluminum balanced on bearings and are painted in a vibrant golden urethane. The center piece attracts the sun and the glisten.

21. "Port Mobile"

Shawn Merfalen

A large kinetic sculpture, "Port Mobile" represents the juxtaposition between massive human engineering and the fragile beauty of nature. The strong structure and delicate sails symbolize exploration of the open seas and industry's desire to build "up and out" in the captivating context of a child's fairy tale. It is constructed with steel, wood, cord and silk leaves.

22. "Handstand Man"

Daniel Stern

The artist reflects on his career in theater and films in this eight-foot bronze sculpture that depicts a man performing a one-armed handstand balanced 12 feet above the pavement. His hope is that people who see the artwork will get a feeling of motion, joy, color, chaos, balance, humor, danger, possibilities and impossibilities.

23. "Sprouted Bumbershoot"

Jennifer Corio

This colorful umbrella tree lives in the imagination of the artists, who reside in the soggy Pacific Northwest. Incessant rains fuel this tree's growth while the parasol flowers provide refuge from the area's frequent downpours. While the Sprouted Bumbershoot is native to the Northwest, it is seen as a curious exotic when grown in sunny San Diego.

24. "Better Together"

Diane Giusti

Bark twists and turns around the trunk of this metal sculptural tree, while recycled shovels emerge from the branches. A choice is made to begin or end the life of the tree. There is unity here between the two. We are all better together when we make the decision to respect and honor life.

25. "Childhood Totem"

Ann Glover

Four totem heads comprised of cylindrical forms with geometric features reference toy figures from Japanese tin robots and Mr. Potato Head to kachina dolls. The faces are repeated on the front and back. The brightly painted, 15-foot tall artwork is fabricated from marine plywood.

26. "Odd Ball"

Cameron Vogel

"Odd Ball" personifies the unique and creative individual and the perspective gained by thinking outside of the mainstream. It is a tribute to sculptors and their imagination, perched high, outside, and away from the norm, allowing for a different view of their surroundings. The sculpture finds freedom in imagination and moves beyond constraint.

27. "Agave"

Maria de Castro

This 12-foot tall sculptural century plant, also known as the agave, sprouts something unusual from its top. Appearing to keep watch on San Diego Bay and its passers-by is a sculpted pelican head. The artwork is constructed of ceramic, foam, wood and metal.

28. "The Spectrum of Time"

Garrett Goodwin

This artwork is made from recycled tree trunks that have been sliced into 3- to 4-inch segments, connected with rebar and mounted on a metal framework. The center of each segment has been bored out and filled with multi- colored recycled cast glass through which the filtered sunlight projects a spectrum of color.

29. "Red Palm"

Jeff Zischke

This design incorporates rakes that, when grouped in a cluster, mimic the look of a fan palm tree. The plastic rake is an integral part of the modern urban landscape. On a landscaper's truck, rakes often look like palm fronds blowing in the wind. The "Red Palm" has 22, red, 30-inch plastic rakes sprouting from an aluminum pole.

30: "Ask the Fish"

Stephen Fairfield

A surreal supernatural hand sparkling with "diamond dust" in the sun and holding an iridescent fish reflects the artist's inspiration from the book of Job: "...and the fish of the sea will explain to you...that the hand of the Lord has done this...in whose hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind."