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Description:
The Tempe Gateway, located at the north entrance to the city
of Tempe, is a symbol of welcome. The piece incorporates
vertical elements and lighting to serve as a beacon of greeting for
approaching visitors. Tempe Gateway also creates a sense of
arrival into the city through the utilization of textured
paving, agrarian landscape order and “rumble strips.” The bridge
imagery represents the past, present and future of Tempe and the
Salt River area.
Funding:
The project was funded through city of Tempe Capital Improvement
Project Percent for Art funds.
Artist biography:
Ron Gasowski is a Professor Emeritus of Art at Arizona State
University, currently teaching in the areas of intermedia and the
core foundations program. His mixed media graphics and sculpture
have been exhibited in museums and galleries in the United States,
Canada, Europe, South America, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Korea
and Japan. More than 25 solo exhibitions and 100 group shows include
traveling exhibits organized by the Portland (Oregon) Museum of Art,
the Mississippi Museum of Art, Colorado State University Museum of
Art and the Arizona Commission on the Arts. The bulk of his public
art projects have been community-based involving more than 1,000
local students.
Artist statement:
The Tempe Gateway project was designed as a visual metaphor
which evokes the past and spans into the future. The bridge form has
historically been recognized as one which removes barriers and
symbolizes welcome. My approach merges these bridge concepts by
creating a sense of arrival through organized forms and linear
patterns, and the use of timeless materials and color to connect the
past with the future. It is important that the Gateway, as an
element of the civic image, becomes truly public art in the sense
that the public itself identifies with the piece as an icon that
symbolizes and represents their [sic] city. |
