Entry No. 20 — the Nashville file — filed under: outdoor
Stix
Twenty-seven cedar poles up to 70 feet tall, ringed in bold blue and orange bands and planted at irregular angles in a downtown traffic circle — press called it a 'Seussian, sculptural forest.' At $750,000 it was Nashville's priciest public art project when installed in 2015, and it's tough enough that it survived a car crashing into it in 2018.
The story
You're driving down Korean Veterans Boulevard expecting standard Southern city streetscapes when suddenly you hit the 8th Avenue roundabout and come face-to-face with what looks like a giant, hand-thrown game of pick-up sticks. Twenty-seven raw red cedar poles—some towering 70 feet into the air—stab out of the grass at jarring, irregular angles. Designed by artist Christian Moeller and installed in 2015, the project carried a $750,000 price tag, making it Metro Nashville's most expensive public art commission at the time.
Naturally, the installation ignited local debate. Local media dubbed it a 'Seussian, sculptural forest,' while baffled commuters questioned why three-quarters of a million dollars went into a cluster of painted wooden logs in a traffic circle. But the construction wasn't haphazard: each native red cedar pole was stripped and painted with precise, bold rings of red, orange, dark blue, and light blue. The deliberate tilt of each pole means the visual grid constantly reconfigures itself depending on your angle of approach.
If anyone doubted the structural integrity of planting 70-foot timber poles in the middle of a high-volume intersection, the installation put those doubts to rest in 2018. An errant car lost control and crashed directly into the roundabout and its art piece—and the sturdy cedar poles took the hit and remained standing. They sit there today, a stubborn, colorful anomaly smack in the middle of Nashville's concrete expansion.
What it's like
Arriving here means dealing with one of downtown Nashville’s busiest traffic hubs, so don't try sprinting across active lanes of traffic to reach the center island. Instead, stick to the wide sidewalks running along the outer edge of 8th Avenue and Korean Veterans Boulevard. Golden hour is the sweet spot for photos, as the low sun catches the blue and orange bands against the urban backdrop. You can orbit the entire perimeter on foot in about ten minutes, getting the full multi-angle effect without risking a run-in with a bumper.
The move: Wander the roundabout on foot at sunset for photos among the towering striped poles, then head into the nearby Gulch or SoBro for dinner.
- 📍 Downtown, Korean Veterans Blvd roundabout
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Korean Veterans Blvd & 8th Ave, Nashville, TN
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Ghost Ballet for East Bank Machineworks — Double down on Nashville's monumental public art by heading under a mile northeast to see a 100-foot spiral of red steel built on an old gantry crane.
- Bar Sovereign — Walk three blocks east into SoBro for a dark, tiki-tinted cocktail to decompress after taking in the roundabout art.
- Tijon — Head four blocks west into The Gulch to trade giant outdoor pickup sticks for lab coats and custom fragrance blending.
Good to know
Where exactly is Stix located?
It sits directly inside the traffic roundabout at the intersection of Korean Veterans Boulevard and 8th Avenue South, on the border of Downtown and SoBro.
Can I walk into the center of the roundabout to touch the poles?
No. There are no pedestrian crosswalks leading into the center island, and traffic moves continuously through the loop. Stick to the surrounding sidewalks.
What are the poles made of and how tall are they?
The installation consists of 27 red cedar poles, with the tallest reaching up to 70 feet high, painted in multi-colored stripes of red, orange, light blue, and dark blue.
How much did Stix cost to install?
The project cost $750,000 when it was installed in 2015, funded through Metro Nashville's public art program.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · vice.com · publicartarchive.org · nashvillelifestyles.com
last checked: 2026-07-20