In March 2025, the City of Paso Robles submitted a letter of intent to the Arts in California Parks grant program, seeking $70,000 to fund what it called the "Paso Robles Downtown Public Art Placemaking Initiative." In May the city learned the project had not been chosen.
Instead, the city's share of the public art now arriving in Downtown City Park comes to about $365 a year. That money pays for electricity and nothing else. Three lighted steel sculptures by the artist duo HYBYCOZO are scheduled to debut in November. They will stand in the banjo-shaped planter between the Carnegie Library and the park's corner at 12th Street, the same stretch of lawn and library steps that the fall calendar already uses.
A grant that fell through, and a gift that replaced it
Sensorio, the light-art venue east of town on Highway 46, stepped in after the grant fell through. According to the city staff report for the January 14 council meeting, Sensorio offered in July 2025 to pay for the design, fabrication, installation and maintenance of a park artwork. Owners Bobbi and Ken Hunter call the installation "A Gift of Light" to the community.
Ryan Hopple from Sensorio and Stacie Jacob of Solterra Strategies presented the proposal in fall 2025. The city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee endorsed it on December 8, 2025, and the City Council approved it unanimously on January 14. The Tribune reported that Councilmember Steve Gregory thanked Sensorio "for this wonderful gift and continued partnership with our community."
The project took longer than first planned. The Tribune reported that a presentation at the January meeting gave an April or May 2026 production timeline. The staff report estimated two to three months to fabricate the pieces and another two or three weeks to install them. Paso Robles Daily News reported on October 10 that the debut is set for November, without giving a specific day.
What goes in the banjo planter, and for how long
HYBYCOZO is the artist collective of Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuk. The staff report describes their work as illuminated geometric sculpture inspired by mathematics, science and natural patterns. In Paso Robles, the three pieces will be lit from within and cast patterns of light and shadow onto their surroundings.
The council approved these terms:
- Placement: three steel sculptures set on three concrete footings sunk into the soil of the planter bed on the park's north side.
- Lighting: static warm white or a single color, using about 180 watts for 12 hours each night.
- Cost to the city: electricity only, estimated at $1 a night, or about $365 a year.
- Cost to Sensorio: commissioning, fabrication, installation, footings, up to two interpretive signs, and all maintenance.
- Term: a three-year display, with a possible two-year extension after the city reviews it.
- Signage: no more than two 18-by-24-inch plaques with near-field communication tags that link to Sensorio content.
The term matters for anyone who uses the park, because the city will review the display before it decides on any extension. The color could also change. The Tribune reported that Mayor John Hamon suggested looking at seasonal color changes during the January meeting.
The staff report ties the project to the city's Economic Development Strategic Plan. It says the installation should "encourage residents and visitors to gather, explore, and linger downtown" and help bring foot traffic to nearby businesses. The next several weeks show what that corner of the park already hosts.
The corner already has a full fall calendar
The north end of City Park runs from the Carnegie Library to 12th Street. Between now and mid-November, the park hosts a festival and a Halloween event, the library steps host a ceremony, and downtown hosts a holiday evening.
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Third annual Día de los Muertos Festival | Downtown City Park | Free |
| Sat., Oct. 31, 4 to 7 p.m. | Safe & Fun Halloween, merchant trick-or-treat and trunk-or-treat | Around City Park | Free |
| Sat., Nov. 7, 2 p.m. | Paderewski wreath-laying | Carnegie Library steps, at Paderewski's statue | Free, no ticket |
| Sat., Nov. 14, 5 to 8 p.m. | Elegant Holiday Evening | Downtown | See Main Street listing |
The Downtown Paso Robles Main Street Association and the Central Coast Hispanic Business Association host the Día de los Muertos Festival. It includes food, dance, music, children's activities, vendors of cultural wares and a special ofrenda display. The holiday is traditionally observed November 1 and 2, but the Paso Robles festival lands the Saturday before.
A week later, the Halloween event runs trick-or-treating with downtown merchants and trunk-or-treating with local community organizations around the park. Organizations, merchants and food vendors who want a spot around the park need to fill out an application, and Main Street takes questions at 805-238-4103.
Paderewski's statue sits a few steps from the new art
The Paderewski Festival runs November 6 through 8. It opens on the 166th anniversary of the birth of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the pianist and Polish statesman who bought 2,864 acres on the city's west side, grew almonds there, and was among the first to plant Zinfandel in California, Paso Robles Daily News reported, citing the festival.
Most of the downtown schedule takes place within a short walk of the park:
- Friday, Nov. 6: the Cracow Duo, cellist Jan Kalinowski and pianist Marek Szlezer, performs with violinist Grace Seng at the Park Ballroom. A wine reception with Epoch Estate Wines starts at 7 p.m., and the concert follows at 7:30.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m.: a screening of the 2025 documentary "Poland – A Musical Self-Portrait" at Park Cinemas. Pass holders can use a $30 downtown dining voucher at participating restaurants from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Saturday, 2 p.m.: the free wreath-laying at Paderewski's statue on the Carnegie Library steps.
- Saturday, 3 p.m.: the Youth Competition Winners' Concert at the Park Ballroom, free with a reservation.
- Sunday, Nov. 8, 11 a.m.: the Youth Cultural Exchange Concert at the Park Ballroom with young pianists Mikołaj Brzostowicz and Piotr Pączkowski from Poland, free with a reservation.
Saturday night moves to San Luis Obispo for the "Keys of Grandeur" gala with the San Luis Obispo Symphony at Harold Miossi Hall. Pianist Hyunjin Roh, winner of the 2025 Paderewski International Piano Competition, performs Beethoven's "Emperor" concerto.
The festival's artistic director, Marek Zebrowski, made a point in that same Paso Robles Daily News article that fits the park's new art just as well. "Arts cannot exist in a vacuum," he said. "They must be sustained by the communities in the widest sense of this term." The festival began in Paso Robles in 1993. Starting in November, a local business will also be keeping a piece of art lit near the statue.
Evenings around the park after the lights come on
The sculptures will glow for 12 hours a night. Several of this fall's downtown events also run into the evening. The Halloween event goes until 7 p.m., the Día de los Muertos Festival until 7 p.m., and Elegant Holiday Evening runs from 5 to 8 p.m.
On Thursday, October 22, the inaugural Fork + Vine long-table dinner takes place on Pine Street between 11th and 12th, a block from the park. Staviary chef Rachel Ponce is cooking a family-style meal, with an after-party at 1122 Cocktail Lounge. The Paso Robles Press reported that Chamber CEO Robert Covarrubias described the dinner as a collaboration among chefs, winemakers, businesses, residents and visitors.
On 12th Street, Richie's Tavern opened September 26 at 835 12th St. Rich and Tracy Secchiaroli own it, and the menu includes fried bologna sandwiches and Italian recipes from Rich's mother, served in an East Coast-style room with exposed brick and a large bar. "I think Richie's Tavern will be a place where people can come out and really socialize and enjoy an evening of community, where we break bread together," Rich Secchiaroli told The Tribune.
Sensorio itself is about to reach its one-millionth guest, seven years after Bruce Munro's Field of Light first lit the hills east of town. Its expanded Fireflies exhibit adds 270 lights to the existing hillside and 775 new fireflies on the opposite hill. Throughout October, Sensorio is offering $50 all-inclusive Local Glow tickets to select neighboring communities on select operating days. Gates at 4380 Highway 46 East open about an hour before sunset, Thursday through Sunday. Once the City Park pieces are in place, Sensorio's work will also be on view nightly downtown.
If you'd like to talk about which downtown blocks put you within walking distance of City Park, or anything else about life in Paso Robles, Barbara Letty Carstensen is glad to help. Schedule a Meeting, and we can start with the streets around the park.
