Public Art Program

The City of Mesa Public Art Program was created by a City Council resolution in 1997. A master plan has been compiled for this program, and is updated annually.

CALL TO ARTISTS

There are no current openings

MESA ARTS CENTER INTEGRATED WORKS

Three public art projects by internationally known artists have been incorporated into the design of the new Mesa Arts Center. All three projects were formally dedicated on September 23, 2005.

Color Walk by Beth Galston. Color Walk consists of two ribbons of colored glass that are affixed to the metal guardrails of the second and third levels on the west façade of the Studios buildings. The imagery for the glass is based on photographs the artist took in Mesa of the sky at dusk during a rainstorm. The photographs were digitally altered to create a painterly effect creating the experience of pure color and light. The glass panels interact with the intense sunlight to project light and color into the bridge walkways.

Fragmented Landscape by Ned Kahn. Two shade screens adorn the west-facing wall of the theater building, each consisting of thousands of small aluminum panels that are activated by wind. The panels of the smaller screen are perforated with different sized holes that, when viewed from a distance, create a photographic image of sand dunes. A blue-anodized finish that coats the larger screen’s panels creates the impression of a vertical sheet of water, rippled by the wind. *Valley Forward Environmental Excellence Award winner for Art in Public Places (2006).

Light Storm by Catherine Widgery. Light Storm consists of over 30,000 stainless steel discs imbedded into the paving inside and outside the theater lobbies. Each disc is precisely set at the point where the wave patterns of two enormous vortices intersect, as if a desert wind had caught them and blown them through the lobbies onto the Shadow Walk. The work exists as reflected light only and the overall patterns can be best seen from the stairways above.

The Mesa Arts Center Temporary Installation program features local, emerging public artists.

Artist Theodore Troxel was commissioned by the Museum and Cultural Advisory Board to create a site-specific temporary installation at the Mesa Arts Center. His solution is a small herd of life-sized javelinas made of wood and roofing shingles. The artwork was located in a dirt area just north of the Box Office and was on display September - December 2005. It was featured during the grand opening of the Mesa Arts Center on September 23, 2005. *Artwork featured in Phoenix: 21st Century City by Edward Booth-Clibborn (2006).

The second installment of the Mesa Arts Center's temporary installation program featured Mesa artist Zarco Guerrero. Guerrero's project consisted of three large scale Olmec heads cast in fiberglass, accompanied by more than 20 ceramic masks made from the faces of local community members. The Olmec heads were placed in the grassy area near the south parking lot; the ceramic masks were placed within the arroyo. The artwork was on display March – June 2006.

Fall 2006: THE STRAGGLERS by Mary Consie, Mesa, AZ

The third installment of the Mesa Arts Center's temporary installation program features Mesa artist Mary Consie. Mary's project consists of three sculptural forms made of steel, Styrofoam and cement. The artwork is located on the south end of the Nesbitt/Elliott Playhouse, near the south parking lot. The project was installed on December 16, 2006 and will be on display through March 2007.