Teen-Designed Public Art Project to be Installed at North West Phoenix Home Community Marley Park
Teen participants in Gallery 37 program design shade-structure public art piece to be featured in neighborhood park
SURPRISE, AZ (Oct.18, 2007) - Marley Park will soon be home to a piece of public art designed by the teen art apprentices of the West Valley Arts Council's Gallery 37 program, through a partnership between the Surprise, Arizona DMB community and the Arts Council. The piece, a shade structure constructed of woven rebar poles and circular steel disks, will be unveiled in early 2008 in Plaza Park, which will connect the neighborhood shopping center, Marley Park Plaza, to the residential community.
The Gallery 37 teen art employment program apprentices 15- to 18-year-old students with professional artists in order to design and develop a permanent piece of public art for display in the West Valley. The piece being developed for Marley Park, titled "Penumbra," a word that refers to the area between light and shadow, was designed entirely by the team of 19 students with guidance from three master artists who provide training and support for each phase of the project.
"This was the most challenging of the five Gallery 37 projects that I have worked on," said Aaron Rothman, one of the master artists who helped lead the students. "Certainly the ambitious scale of the project contributed to this, but the real challenge was in pulling so many ideas and viewpoints into a single, elegant design. The final design is a distillation of the ideas of each apprentice artist, our impressions of the Marley Park community, and the input of the landscape architects at EDAW."
The six-week program began with a request from Marley Park to design a shade structure that would also serve as a gateway into the Surprise, AZ community. Beginning with two words-community and gateway-the team embarked on a complex process of brainstorming and exploration that included factfinding visits to Marley Park. Eventually, the original words of community and gateway evolved into the two concepts-connections and transitions-that would form the basis of the design.
"Connections is the primary concept behind our project design," said Audriana Graham, a senior apprentice for Gallery 37. "Marley Park promotes this idea with its first 15 parks, all of which are linked though its Arbor Walk. These parks, and the Arbor Walk connecting them, are a means of bringing people together from across the community, providing ample places for them to meet and bond."
In considering the other key design concept-transitions-the Gallery 37 team thought about how the structure would connect one place to another. In this case, Plaza Park will provide a transition from a commercial area to a residential area and the shade structure will serve as the gateway. "At this point, a person may experience an emotional transition, from busy shopping to relaxation, strolling along tree-lined streets and green parks," explained Graham. Once the concepts were finalized, the team explored ways to visually communicate the ideas and developed the final plans for Penumbra. When complete, the 8-by-10 foot piece will have a divided overhead structure covered in rebar. Ten feet at its highest point, the woven rebar overhead will be reminiscent of a tree canopy.
Powder-coated steel circles of various sizes and colors will be laid out above and below the rebar canopy to symbolize individuals, families and unity within the unique Phoenix masterplanned community. When hit by sunlight, the structure will cast a pattern in shadows and the circles will reflect color on the ground.
"We were thoroughly impressed with the sophisticated thought process the students used to develop this piece of art and are thrilled with their final concept," said Kelsea Vescova, Marley Park community life manager. "They really captured the spirit of Marley Park."
Apprentices in the Gallery 37 program are paid minimum wage and receive college credit through Estrella Mountain Community College. The program is also held at the college. In addition to being trained in a variety of artistic disciplines, students are introduced to vital job skills including resume writing, interviewing, business etiquette, proposal development and public speaking.
"For many kids in the program, this is their first introduction to college and the first time they truly consider attending," said Bernadette Mills, assistant director of the West Valley Arts Council. "The Marley Park team was wonderful to work with, in part because they value the importance of lifelong learning in their community and really understood that this was a life-changing experience for these kids."
"Arts and education are the cornerstones of Marley Park," said Vescova. "Our partnership with the West Valley Arts Council is invaluable, as it continues to provide opportunities to enhance our community with programs such as Gallery 37."
Gallery 37 began in Chicago in 1991, and the West Valley Arts Council brought the program to the Valley in 2001. Since then, six public art projects have been installed throughout the West Valley and more than100 students have participated in the program.
Marley Park is designed to be a classically styled Surprise, AZ new home community celebrating the most valued characteristics of traditional neighborhoods. Featuring a variety of home styles, front porches, unique parks and open spaces, the charming neighborhoods at Marley Park provide ample opportunities for resident interaction. For more information, visit MarleyParkNews.com.
Marley Park is being developed in phases by Marley Park LLC, an affiliate of Scottsdale-based DMB Associates, Inc. (DMB). DMB is a diversified real estate investment and development firm with real estate holdings through affiliated companies that include current and planned resort/recreational and primary residential communities, signature commercial developments, country clubs, hotels, health clubs and spa properties. Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., DMB is one of the most active community developers in the West, with properties in Arizona, California, Utah and Hawaii. The firm's name is synonymous with high-quality real estate developments.
