PUBLIC ART

Over the past 12 years, the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance has administered over 50 major Public Art installations throughout Southern Arizona.  Working with both the private and public sector, SAACA has helped produce some of the largest and most visible public art pieces in the region. 

The majority of the installations administered by SAACA were produced as a result of the 1% for Public Art Code within the municipality of Oro Valley. 

In 1994, Oro Valley was still a small suburban community of the greater Tucson area.  For the first time, the population exceeded 5,000. The timing and political environment were conducive to exciting and progressive ideas related to fine arts and overall cultural development.

The town council appointed an arts advisory board in October 1994, and, that same year, the Arizona Commission on the Arts was engaged to prepare a “Community Cultural Assessment.”  The results of the study would prove pivotal in adopting a public art policy.

After the mayor and council accepted the results of the cultural assessment, steps were taken to research possible action on cultural quality-of–life issues.

The final report made several key suggestions, one of which was:  “… consider the possibility of establishing a percent for public art program.”  Such a program would require that all public and commercial construction projects allocate 1 percent of total building costs for on-site public art.  A concentrated effort began to find other communities in Arizona and elsewhere that had such a requirement.  Tempe, Arizona, was one such community. It provided the motivation to create a town code establishing a 1 percent for public art set-aside in Oro Valley for all public and commercial construction.

In 1996, the general plan advisory committee proposed that the town “adopt and implement a 1-percent-for-art ordinance.”  A time frame of one to three years was suggested.  The importance of having had the subject in the general plan cannot be overstated, because of the official recognition it unanimously received from the council.

In May 1997, a town code was adopted that would require a 1 percent for public art program.  The code would mandate that an amount equal to 1 percent of the budget of all commercial developments and public works projects be spent to develop public art.  The code was quite specific as to what acceptable art was and how it should be displayed.  It also provided for a public art review committee (PARC), which would review all public art submissions by the town and commercial developers.  The PARC has since evolved from a committee into a commission.  The arts advisory board proposed the new town code and it passed unanimously on September 3, 1997. By creating economic opportunities for artists, Oro Valley has cemented its reputation for strongly supporting the arts.

In addition to commercial developments, further public art was sought out and, in 1995, the Pima Association of Governments made available funds for summer youth art projects concurrent with the passage of the public art code that would employ students during the summer to work in all facets of design and installation of a  public art piece in Oro Valley.

As you drive around Oro Valley, you will see three types of public art: works adorning commercial building sites, youth summer public art projects in parks and along roads, and art on town-owned sites and roadways.

PUBLIC ART BOOK TO BE PUBLISHED IN PARTNERHSIP WITH THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

In May 2007, the National Endowment for the Arts invited the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance to tackle a community-focused project.  The Alliance would receive a grant through the “Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Invitational Initiative.”

SAACA decided to use the NEA grant to publish a book about public art in Oro Valley.

In 1997, the town established a 1% for Public Art Program, which requires that commercial developers set aside one percent of a project’s total budget for the creation of public art.  By passing the public art mandate, Oro Valley signaled an ongoing commitment to create beautiful surroundings and enhance the quality of life for all who live or work in the town.

This book—“Excellence by Design: A Visual History of Public Art in Oro Valley, Arizona”—represents the first-ever effort to catalogue the town’s public art.

The book has included biographical information about the artists and artists’ personal statements about their work (wherever possible) as well as the location of each work.  This volume also features artwork at Oro Valley’s town government campus, various roadway art displays, and several projects completed under the auspices of the Pima Association of Governments Transportation Art by Youth Program.

In all, artists have created more than 100 unique works of art in the dozen years since Oro Valley adopted its public-art mandate.

In addition to thanking the NEA for its support of this project, SAACA also would like to acknowledge the financial contributions of Rancho Vistoso Development (Stone Canyon), sanofi-aventis U.S., Oro Valley Hospital, the Bruce T. Halle Foundation, First National Bank of Arizona, and the WLB Group.

Gail Munden—an artist, Oro Valley resident, and SAACA board member—spent the last two years living and breathing this project.  She photographed most of the art depicted in these pages, contacted the artists, and was responsible for the overall layout and design of this book.  For her work, SAACA is eternally grateful.

The Alliance also wishes to thank all others who, in ways small and large, helped produce this volume.

Copies of the Book are available for purchase at local area Bookmans locations as well as at the offices of the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance located at 7225 N Oracle Rd, Suite 112, Tucson, AZ  85704. 

Softback price $35
Hardback artist autographed price $85 (only 50 copies printed)

To inquire about purchasing the EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN Public Art Book, please contact SAACA at (520) 797-3959.