Client: City of Goodyear, Arizona

Overview

“The Memory of a Tree is Strong,” a cut-metal screen piece, defines and enhances Morris Plaza at Morris and Main Street in Mesa, Arizona as a part of the light rail expansion. I chose the pecan tree because pecan groves were once prevalent in Mesa. As the city grew, they were incorporated into residential developments on the north and south sides of Main Street. Water jet cut steel with powder coating, 12’h x 112’w x 15’d.

Goals

My goal with this project is to add color and a sense of fun to the entrance of the park. While the piece refers to the agricultural history of Goodyear, it also delights in the day-to-day use of the park. Using the hieroglyphic for air (skate park, volleyball, basketball, softball etc.), earth (ramadas, walking trails), and water (splash pad), I incorporate the ancient symbols with the present activities at the park. The plants and wildlife in the area are also paired with symbols; air (hawk, bat), water (dragonfly, lizard), earth (roadrunner, cactus, agave)
Goodyear Community Park is an amazing 27-acre park. The scale of the park is daunting and that is what I mean when I say the artwork has a big job to do. The park is well loved and beautiful.

Process

Goodyear Community Park is a very high-use park so I spent time talking to those who used the park as well as Parks and Recreation employees. This dialogue to place in the form of community meetings and in the less formal endeavor of being in the park and talking to people about the things that they enjoyed about the park.