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Description:
Each of
the two entrances into the historic Date Palm Manor neighborhood
works as a visual marker that mirrors the other. Chasing Zoe,
was funded by the neighborhood. The second marker, I am (on
Broadway Road) was created to extend the neighborhood’s gateway
project. This piece consists of attached steel cutouts that run
along the wall, like a series of stills from a film clip. As the
figure progresses down the wall, it “morphs” into a bird, turns the
corner into the alley, and flies away—a metaphor that implies that
shifting nature of the self (identity) and touches on he transitory
nature of life (individually and communally). Stories are also
printed on colored ceramic tile with a ceramic slip.
Rather than putting the tiles up in their entirety, they are broken
into fragments so that the viewer can catch a glimpse of the
residents' lives.
Funding:
A Tempe Municipal Arts Commission grant as well as a
neighborhood grant funded this project. The neighborhood raised
money by holding a huge neighborhood garage sale. The artist who
designed the wall lives in the neighborhood and worked for the cost
of materials.
Artist biography:
John Nelson lives and works in Tempe and
received his Master of Fine Arts from Arizona State University. As
an illustrator, painter and sculptor, Nelson has seen his mixed
media illustrations appear frequently in publications like The
New York Times and Rolling Stone. His paintings and
sculptures have been featured in numerous solo and group shows
including Gallery Materia in Scottsdale, the Carter Center at Emory
University and the Tamarind Institute in Albuquerque, N.M. In
addition, his work is collected by both public and corporate
entities, including Intel and the Perrier Corporation. He has
completed commissions for the National Endowment for the Arts, the
United States Postal Service and Phoenix Sky Harbor International
Airport, and has many other public pieces in the Phoenix
Metropolitan area.
Artist statement:
In
capturing the many and varied identities of the residents to the
area, we are looking to address and honor the issues of personal and
cultural identity and to engage the neighborhood in a dialogue of
self discovery, personal involvement and community pride. |
