Richard Anrom Re-Creates His Famed Guerilla Freeway Piece '5 North'

For eight years, Richard Ankrom's guerilla art installation "5 North" guided motorists on the 110 in downtown as they figured out, well, how to find the 5 North. Ankrom made a freeway sign identical to Caltrans' actual signs, and one night in August 2001, installed the sign. The amazing part: Caltrans agreed that the sign was useful, and added addition "5 North" signs throughout the 110 North.

Then, in November 2009, Franklin Avenue Caltrans replaced the signs with brand-new ones. The good news: 5 North was prominently displayed on these signs. The bad news: Ankrom's art was lost. (We were the ones who actual first informed him of the disappearance).

KCET's Departures blog is recounting Ankrom's now-legendary piece of public guerilla art (read here. And above, here's Ankrom re-creating the complexities to make the sign.