Local artist Craig David created the landscape and stone work “Keepers of the Garden” for the Kirchbak Sculpture Garden in 2001. The focal point of the work is two figures, a man and a nude woman, carved as a relief into the stone. They can “lend a whimsical touch of Eden to suburbia” (You Are Here: Exploring Art in the Suburbs) or be kind of weird. With the building fragments and broken stonework they seemed more like fallen Greek or Roman gods to me.

And it seems once again the sign is wrong, this time getting Craig David’s name backwards: David Craig (which is a pretty common mistake when you’ve got two first names).

The eight pillars on the George Street viaduct as it goes over Robert Street feature these paintings by Craig David. They were created in 1996 and each one depicts a different culture, perhaps the many cultures that live or once lived in St. Paul’s West Side neighborhood (a constant theme in David’s artwork and artwork in the area).

Artist Craig David created this sculpture in 2007 with the help of Youth Farm. The garden includes salvaged pier stones and antique cobble stones. The sculpture represents the figure Genius Loci, a “protective spirit of place.” It’s made from recycled materials, including a “clinker” from the old St. Paul Brickyard (which makes the “head”) and an antique insulator (which makes the “tall triple tiara”).

“The Journey of the River and the Sun” was created in 1997 by Craig David in the West Side neighborhood of St. Paul. It serves as a gateway to the District Del Sol and uses old pier stones from the Wabasha Street Bridge.

According to the artist, “it is an allegorical piece about the journey of immigration, and the bridges created by the new life that immigrants experienced.”

“Community Jubilee” by Craig David is a series of eight panels above doorways at an entrance to the Midway Exchange building on Lake Street in Minneapolis.

“Allegory of Immigrants” is a 2001 sculpture by Craig David located at the entrance to Harriet Island Regional Park (where “Flood Wave” threatens to take it out). It’s comprised of eight bas-relief panels — “Birth of Freedom,” “Tolerance,” “Conservation,” “Depredation,” “Woman’s Journey,” “The Decision,” “The Culture” and “The Fulcrum.”

Craig David and Teens Networking Together painted this mural on the side of El Burrito Mercado in the District Del Sol in St. Paul’s West Side. “The Heroes of Freedom, Justice and Peace” is full of examples of exactly that. I especially like the people offering food and water.

Community Gate, by local artist Craig David, is a celebration of the Czech and Slavic immigrants and their families that have lived and worked in St. Paul’s West End since the 1860s. The sculpture incorporates a number of pieces, including a nine-foot baptismal gate from St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church and curb stones and pavers from St. Paul streets.

I like how the trees have grown up around the gate (especially in this picture taken during the summer. It’s always interesting how nature impacts a sculpture. The historic and cultural connections make a nice contribution to North High Bridge Park.

Read more about the history of the project.

“Queen of the Wandering Races” by Craig David is kind of an odd figure in the West Side neighborhood of St. Paul. The shape and form are kind of baffling to me, but what I do appreciate is the different layers and colors. Every piece of the sculpture seems to have different layers and colors, from the massive “body” of the figure to the face to the crown. It’s clearly symbolic of the great diversity of the West Side, from the early Jewish community of the West Side Flats to the current District Del Sol.

The four paneled mosaic mural on the Neighborhood House’s Paul & Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building showcases the diverse history of St. Paul’s West Side neighborhood. Artist Craig David has at least three other works within a few blocks, and between the art and the culture it’s a nice neighborhood to wander around.