ArtBuilds Collective
Artist
2026
Year
Threshold Five
Title
3333 Bear Valley Pkwy, Escondido, CA 92025, United States
Location
Escondido Community Foundation
Funded by
New Public Art to Inspire Connection at Escondido’s Kit Carson Park
Threshold Five, funded by private donations to Escondido Community Foundation, expands access to interactive, community-centered art.
Visitors to Kit Carson Park can now experience Threshold Five, a large-scale public art installation unveiled by Escondido Community Foundation (ECF), a regional affiliate of San Diego Foundation (SDF),.
The sculpture is part of Escondido Community Foundation’s ongoing Art Speaks initiative in partnership with the City of Escondido’s Public Art Commission (PAC), bringing interactive and community-centered artwork to public spaces across the city. Created by San Diego–based nonprofit collective ArtBuilds, Threshold Five is a five-part metal sculpture featuring a series of nested, hexagonal forms that create a portal-like experience for visitors. Located near Eagle Scout Lake at the intersection of Entrance Drive and Castaneda Drive, the installation is now open to the public.
A May 15 dedication ceremony brought community members together to celebrate the installation and continued investment in Escondido’s public spaces. Photos from the event are available for publication.
“Public art like Threshold Five transforms how people experience everyday spaces,” said Emily Lowe, Co-Chair of the Escondido Community Foundation Art & Beautification Grant Committee. “It encourages visitors to pause, explore and connect with one another in the heart of the community.”
The installation moves visitors through a series of hexagonal forms from multiple vantage points, with no single entry or prescribed path. The structure will develop a natural patina over time and is located along an accessible, level pathway, welcoming people of all ages and abilities.
The project builds upon recent collaborations between Escondido Community Foundation and the City of Escondido, including Resilience on the Escondido Creek Trail and A Kumeyaay Creation Story on the Escondido Public Library.
Together, these efforts expand access to the arts, strengthen community identity and create shared spaces where residents can connect and engage.
About the Art
Threshold Five invites a pause in the momentum of everyday movement. Five hexagonal gates, scaled from monumental to intimate, frame the space between here and there, shifting your sense of where you came from, where you are going, and whether the distinction between them matters. With no front and no prescribed way through, the work asks only that the viewer stop, look again, and decide for themselves.
About the Artist
Founded in 2019, ArtBuilds is a San Diego–based collective dedicated to creating large-scale participatory art installations and fostering the creative community that makes them possible. The volunteer-run nonprofit has engaged hundreds of people in its projects. Supported by commissions from the Escondido Community Foundation, City of San Diego, and Burning Man Project, ArtBuilds has created work across civic and community spaces with a consistent commitment to public art that invites participation.
For more, visit www.artbuilds.org.