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Description:
The artwork was created to represent the
"Fremont Cottonwood" Populous fremonti. This Arizona native tree
grew along the banks of the Salt River. The sculpted tree provides a
large shaded area and the roots can be used for seating, creating an
ideal place for rest and reflection. The surrounding stone seat
walls visually draw the pedestrian into the sculpture setting. The
stone seat wall is designed to display donor’s names and accommodate
the installation of plaques. The names of the Adopt-A-Tree donors
are engraved into the steel leaves.
Funding:
The project was funded through city of Tempe Capital Improvement
Project Percent for Art funds with additional funding from
the
Adopt-A-Tree program.
Artist biography:
Joe
Tyler received his BS in Horticulture from Arizona State University.
He earned his Masters of Environmental Horticulture at ASU in 1974.
Tyler’s works can be seen all over Arizona as well as in Germany,
Japan, California, New Mexico, Texas and Nevada. Tyler has received
many awards for his work and has held several professional positions
in the field of horticulture. He has created public art for the
cities of Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler, Tucson and Yuma, and art for
major business corporations.
Artist statement:
It seemed quite natural for me to have plants and mythology as my
major sculptural subjects because of my extensive knowledge in
botany and environmental horticulture and my interest in
mythological stories. I enjoy taking rough cold steel and bending,
twisting, pounding and heating it into a soft, sensual, sculpted
organic form. Roots are an important theme in my work because of
their symbolism. I want the viewer to think about the inseparable
relationship between foliage and roots. I hope to convey the message
that Man's Destiny is inseparably linked to the destiny of the
Botanical Kingdom. |
