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Prickly Pear Everywhere

Narrated and Written by Shelby Fredrikson
Opuntia Ficus-Indica, more commonly known as prickly pear cacti, is a part of the Cactaceae cactus family. One plant can grow up to 5 feet tall and 15 feet wide. They are native in the American Southwest, Mexico, and the Caribbean and are more modernly invasive in parts of Africa, Australia, and the Mediterranean due to human contact. The paddles, or nopales, are covered in spines called Glochids that reflect the sunlight and hold water during droughts. The fruit, called tunas, emerges from various color blossoms that are a deep red when ripe. These nopales, tunas, and blossoms are all used in Mexican and Southwestern cuisine. Nopales are commonly grilled and used in egg dishes and tacos; they have a tart or citrus-like taste. The tunas are juicy and contain seeds, most commonly used in jams or other sweet treats. But they can also be used for various medical treatments, like helping people with diabetes regulate blood sugar levels. They can be hard to obtain, for Arizona law protects them from a permit to harvest. In the wild, they are eaten by animals like javelinas and Iguanas.

​
The Night-Blooming Cereus
As our mural transitions into night, we decided to include night-blooming cereus flowers to serve as stars in our prickly-pear sky. Also named the Queen of the Night these spectacular flowers bloom only one night a year in unison across the region. When the sun rises the following morning the blooms wither away. We created our flowers with clay and then glazed and fired them in a kiln. 

Project Background
Eleven teens, under the direction of two teaching artists, are collaborating to create one of the largest integrated public art installations in Oro Valley, AZ. The project is funded by the Pima Association of Governments, which designed the program in 1995, intending to provide youth with an opportunity to gain summer employment while participating in all phases of the design and installation of a public art installation.


The project was envisioned and inspired by feedback from the community. It will encompass educational and desert inspirational imagery, mixing mural techniques, and integrated mosaic art.  

Additional program collaborators include the Town of Oro Valley Parks and the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance.

The project has allwed for teens to design and produce artwork in a public transportation setting. The students, guided by selected artist administrators, will have worked for an eight-week period during summer break from school, May – July 2022. 

The students were challenged to brainstorm ways they could incorporate themes of discovery, multi-generational diversity, connectedness, and nature.   After a community outreach and engagement survey, the students and teaching artists landed on a final design incorporating a gradient art theme inspired by the two most commonly mentioned feedback notes of a project that would include nature and inspired environmental imagery in a whimsical approach.  

The installation, entitled "Day to Night," embodies the natural topography found in Oro Valley and is inspired by the animals and colorful skies native to our region. These animals and familiar imagery are found in the bountiful sunlit days and dark starry nights throughout Southern Arizona. 

The art installation will feature interactive educational elements, including scannable QR codes with recorded digital content, integrated respite seating for pedestrians, and a signature 53-foot-hand-fired mosaic glass and tile Gila Monster, which mimics the natural animal scales found on this native reptile. 

The impressive installation is integrated onto two significant parallel retaining walls that measure over 400 feet long, located at 791 W Tangerine Rd, near the future main entrance of Naranja Park. The project is slated to become one of the largest integrated public art installations in the Town of Oro Valley's recent and growing mural collection. 

Two teaching artists were selected to help guide the students during the process. Under the direction and mentorship of artists Angela Hitt (primary teaching and mosaic artist) and Ignacio Garcia (muralist), the 11-selected local high school students will unveil and dedicate the project in July 2022.  ​

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The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation, preservation and advancement of the Arts. SAACA strengthens the bonds between people, place and purpose through collaborative, arts-driven experiences.
  • WHO WE ARE
    • ABOUT
    • TEAM CONTACTS
    • PARTNERS, DONORS & SPONSORS
    • BOARD OF DIRECTORS
    • CULTURAL EQUITY
  • WHAT WE DO
    • BUSINESS & ARTS PARTNERSHIPS
    • ARTS & HEALTHCARE
    • OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS - CALL TO ARTIST
    • ARTS EDUCATION
    • PUBLIC ART & MURAL ADMINISTRATION
    • EVENTS, PROGRAMS & FESTIVALS
    • CATALYST ARTS & MAKER SPACE
    • CREATIVE PLACEMAKING
    • CREATIVE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT
    • UNDERCOVER ARTS MAGAZINE
    • ONLINE ARTS & CULTURE >
      • CLASSES, WORKSHOPS & PERFORMANCES
      • STREAMING & VIDEO RESOURCES
      • COVID-19 RESPONSE & RESOURCES
  • SUPPORT & DONATE
    • DONATE AND SUPPORT
    • VOLUNTEER
    • INTERN
  • EVENTS, PUBLIC ART & PROGRAMS
    • EVENT & EXHIBITOR APPLICATIONS
    • ART FESTIVALS >
      • FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS & HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING
      • ART ON THE LAKE FESTIVAL
      • DOWNTOWN GLENDALE ARTS & CULTURE FEST
      • LA ENCANTADA FINE ART FESTIVAL
      • SKY ISLANDS FALL ARTISAN MARKET
      • FALL ARTISAN MARKET
      • SPRING FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
    • COMMUNITY ART GALLERIES >
      • VENTANA GALLERY AT ROCHE >
        • Roche Lung Cancer Awareness Exhibition
        • Roche Celebrating Moments >
          • Active Moments - Roche Community Photography Exhibition
          • Frozen in Time - Roche Community Photography Exhibition
          • Up Close and Personal - Roche Community Photography Exhibition
          • Quiet Contentment - Roche Community Photography Exhibition
    • ARTS & CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS >
      • Desert Ridge Music and Murals
      • Tempe World of Chalk
      • Cruise, BBQ & Blues
      • Oro Valley Candy Crawloween
    • CULINARY ARTS >
      • SAVOR FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
      • DEVOUR CULINARY CLASSIC
      • Devour Culinary Classic
      • WORLD MARGARITA CHAMPIONSHIP
    • LIVE MUSIC & CONCERTS >
      • Oro Valley Concert Series
      • Riverfront Park Classical Concert Series
      • Steam Pump Concert Series
      • Lookout Tucson at Westward Look
      • Tucson Folk Festival
      • La Encantada Live
    • PUBLIC ART & MURAL INSTALLATIONS >
      • PUBLIC ART & MURAL INSTALLATIONS
      • Summer Youth Art Project 2022 >
        • Gila Monster
        • Glowing Scorpions
        • Prickly Pear Everywhere
      • Desert Ridge Mural Project
      • Sahuarita Public Art
    • DIGITAL ARTS PROGRAMS >
      • AARP Video Series
      • ORO VALLEY PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
      • Local Food Heroes Virtual Classes
      • The Art of Food Cooking Classes
  • CATALYST ART SPACE & VENUE
    • UPCOMING CLASSES & EVENTS
    • VENUE & SPECIAL EVENT RENTALS
    • ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM