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Description:
As part of a freeway widening project, this artist-designed
pedestrian/bicycle bridge was built across U.S. Route 60 at Country
Club Way to connect the neighborhoods north and south of the
freeway. To gather input for her design, the artist worked
extensively with neighborhood and school groups. The resulting
sky-blue bridge links the residential areas of Cole Park and Bustoz
Elementary School on the south side with Rotary Park and the Ward
School Campus on the north. With a shape and color designed to blend
with the surrounding area, the box-truss style bridge has a
“wing-inspired” design that creates a play of light and movement,
reminiscent of a bird’s wing in flight.
Funding:
The project was funded through city of Tempe Capital Improvement
Project Percent for Art funds.
Artist
biography:
Laurie Lundquist is a public artist and an
educator who brings a deep interest in landscape and natural systems
into her design process. Her numerous public projects seek to
revalue the site in ways that are aesthetically engaging and
environmentally responsible. Lundquist holds an MFA from Arizona
State University and a BFA from the Maine College of Art. She
attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1985 as a
recipient of the Langlais Fellowship. Lundquist uses water as a lens
to examine the interface between mechanical and natural systems at
work in the environment. The control of water has been a subtext in
her work since she moved to the Arizona desert in 1986. Lundquist is
co-founder and co-director of
Deep Creek Arts.
Artist statement:
About her work, Lundquist says, “Parks, open spaces and pedestrian
corridors play a vital role in defining a city's identity; they are
the places where we connect with our environment and our community.
As an artist I am enthusiastic about the possibilities of public art
contributing to the quality of life in the urban context. I enter
the site looking for details specific to that place or that context.
Very often research will reveal interesting bits of history about
the place. When I return to the site I look for physical
characteristics that may echo the memories of the place and provide
anchor points for art elements. I always try to respond to the
character of a site and anticipate the ways that people will best
connect to the place." |
