Arts
Public Art at the Depot and 4th Avenue Underpass Design Phase Set to Begin
by Mary Ellen Wooten
deas and forms for public art for the Intermodal Center Area—comprised of the 4th Avenue Underpass and former Southern Pacific Railroad Depot projects—are beginning to take shape in the minds and imaginations of the artists selected to design and produce three unique works of art. A multi-tiered process with opportunities for input and oversight of the developing designs is underway with anticipated completion of the design phase by the end of 2004. The process is being coordinated by the Tucson Pima Arts Council with the Tucson Department of Transportation.
An opportunity to meet the artists and review and comment on the emerging designs will be offered later this fall. The artists, Kevin Osborn, Melody Peters, and the team of John Davis and Siobhan Roome, have begun working with the Design Teams for the Depot and Underpass to establish technical parameters, define opportunities and select sites. A Project Panel, an outgrowth of the panel assembled by the Tucson Pima Arts Council in 2002 to select an artist for the Depot project, will provide a “sounding board” for the artists with diverse perspectives of community interest and expertise. The panel’s composition has been broadened from the initial selection panel to include a wide range of community and Downtown business representatives, artists, project professionals and consultants.
The Depot and Underpass projects have essential similarities relevant to designing public art. Both properties are historically significant transportation-related assets with renovations influencing Tucson’s future, and the adjacent projects have variable but compatible schedules.
The artists are currently considering sites within the projects’ boundaries on which to focus their design efforts. The Depot, now a fully-realized historic renovation, offers an immersion into its past ambiance and nods to the future. Each potential site, whether part of the Depot or north or south of the underpass, has unique, specific characteristics; each artist’s skills include multiple and varying styles, materials and approaches.
Artists Osborn and Peters began working with the Design Team for the 4th Avenue Underpass in 1996, influencing the design of the new underpass with integrated artwork. Ironically, Osborn and Peters now have a fresh start at design, as artwork for the exterior can be planned only when all crucial site decisions are finalized. Osborn and Peters are reflecting on the potential of the south and north ends of the underpass, respectively. Davis and Roome were selected in 2002 with a developed concept for the Depot, inspired by laying railroad track, the earth-moving and resultant land, architectural, and engineered forms, and by prose evocative of travel by rail. Several locations on the Depot property are being considered.
The challenge and opportunity for these artists, all experienced in creating public art, is to design site-specific artworks that will engage our interest and extend our Downtown experience. The artists must consider the physical characteristics of the sites, their histories and highly anticipated active future uses as well as expressed community values. “Public Art in Downtown Tucson – Your Vision,” a survey seeking community input presented in the Downtown Tucsonan in November and December 2003, elicited a range of responses with emphasis on interpretation and expression of Tucson’s unique culture, history, natural beauty, diversity and modernity. Survey questions sought to capture respondents’ personal preferences in art and define a set of community values to form guiding principles for the artists as they apply their vocation. Transportation by rail, trolley, and biking; passages and motion; and a mix of historic, contemporary and human influences are among the ideas suggested for possible incorporation.
The artists are preparing preliminary designs, working to marry community values to their artistic vocabulary and interpretative approach. The Project Panel’s role will soon be to provide feedback, a critical eye and encouragement to support the artists’ potential to create artworks that express and transcend any single vision. Following feedback from the panel, the artists can move forward to more fully develop their design concepts, working throughout the summer and fall. The artists intend to present their evolving designs in a public meeting in the late fall or early winter to consider comments and input before finalizing the designs for what will be the first in a new wave of public art as part of Downtown’s revitalization.
