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Description: The
5th Street Enhancement Project was created to
enhance community identity, to slow through-traffic and to visually
unify the Sunset Riverside neighborhood. Kevin Berry’s design
includes several elements throughout 5th Street. An entry
feature made of concrete pavers and aggregate is integrated into the
intersection of Priest Drive and 5th Street,
incorporating a fan-sunburst effect and a wave pattern. Similarly, a
40-foot diameter, starburst-pattern design is at the intersection of
5th Street and Hardy Drive. The artist designed paving
patterns for sidewalks and crosswalks throughout the neighborhood.
Three foot high screen walls are composed of woven wire mesh on top
of a concrete wave-pattern base to protect children playing in the
sports areas at Jaycee Park. Wire cages of mesh/river rock disguise
four irrigation control valve stations in the neighborhood.
Semicircular concrete benches encase trees in Jaycee Park. Naturally
rusting, steel panels with the neighborhood logo adorn the street
light fixtures.
Funding:
The project was funded through city of
Tempe Capital Improvement Project Percent for Art funds made
available through the Tempe Transit tax.
Artist biography:
Kevin Berry received his BFA in sculpture
in 1983 from the Kansas City Art Institute, and received his MFA in
sculpture from Arizona State University in 1987. Berry has received
numerous public art commissions including transit shelters near
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, "Tributary Wall" and
Hummingbird Sanctuary Park, in
Scottsdale, and “Staring into the Sun” at the Chandler Public
Library. In 1995 Berry was awarded the Artist of the Year Award by
the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. Berry actively exhibits his work
in group and solo shows and his artwork belongs to many private and
public collections.
Artist statement:
The artwork I have designed for the Fifth Street Project
conceptually relates to the neighborhood’s close proximity to the
Salt River, the future development of the Rio Salado Project and the
community’s name Riverside/Sunset. It is my intention and hope that
these design elements will help create a greater sense of identity
for the two communities through the use of materials and symbolism
that are unique to this neighborhood.
The Tempe public art program is managed by city
of Tempe Cultural Services staff
with input from the Tempe Municipal Arts Commission, a 15-member,
mayor-appointed advisory board.
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