All of this Public Art is Near My House

Hello again! I hope you've all had a great week. And now that I think about it, the conclusion to this project is startlingly close. However, even as the daunting task of presenting looms in my near future, I still am learning new things every week.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), I decided to abandon the idea of surveying a large amount of people in favor of sending out a more detailed and open-ended questionnaire to people specifically working in the Arts & Culture departments of various cities. As I wanted to stay local, I tried to get in touch with those connected to the public art programs of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, and Tempe. So far, all of the people I've contacted associated with Scottsdale Public Art have agreed to respond, as well as those with Tempe Public Art. If all goes well, I should have their responses in the next week or two, which will undoubtedly shed a unique perspective on the role of public art in Arizona communities.

Below, I'll attach the questionnaire if you want to take a look at the questions!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZwqPnVPNl_bnwsjE24Juud0kWa3hy2s6dLHtd5xXwdU/edit?usp=sharing

(I know this is a poor substitute for a photo--sorry Russell.)

 Aside from the questionnaire, this week was spent mostly on familiarizing myself more with the art in the immediate area. In my case, this would be Scottsdale (although I technically live in Paradise Valley--a weird glitch in the Matrix). And it seems that in my day-to-day Scottsdalian life, I unknowingly pass the works of dozens of artists! For instance:

Photo by Diego Ceja

This art piece is called "Water Mark" by Laura Haddad and Tom Drugan. I pass this on Indian Bend Road all the time without ever realizing that this is itself a piece of public art! On a side note, it's also cool to see this on the rare days when it's raining, since flood waters will spout out of the mouths of the horses like an elaborate pseudo-fountain.

Another public art piece I've personally been to is a space known as "Knights Rise" by James Turrell.

Photo by Sean Deckert

Nestled within the Scottsdale Contemporary Art Museum, this piece is a cavernous concrete space with a large opening up to the sky. I actually visited "Knights Rise" a while ago with fellow Senior Research Project blogger Keanan Jenkins and was taken aback by the atmosphere presented by the quiet, grey interior. The room is all blocks of solid pure color, and espouse a sort of emotional tranquility, especially when the sky has the dramatic colors of sunrise or sunset. If you are ever seeking a quiet space to think or (dare I say) meditate, I highly suggest checking this piece out (and the rest of the Scottsdale Contemporary Art Museum while you're at it).

The last local piece I wanted to bring attention to is one that I think most Arizonans have seen in there time here:

Photo by Bill Timmerman

This is known as the "Soleri Bridge and Plaza", named after its renowned artist and architect Paolo Soleri. I remember passing this all the time on the way to Fashion Square Mall with my mom when I was younger and thinking that it looked like the smokestacks of a boat. Or maybe someone told me it was supposed to look like a boat? I'm not entirely sure, but to this day, whenever I pass this bridge I think of how lonely this boat must be in the middle of landlocked Arizona.

On that note, thank you for reading and I'll see you in next week's installment!