Public Art Program

Will Clift
“Convergence,” 2024
Carbon fiber composite, steel

“‘Convergence’” represents Mesa's commitment to transparency, accessibility and connection between its citizens and City officials; City Hall is a place where the public and private parts of Mesa come together.

Adrian Yu and Digital Ambiance
“Strata,” 2024
Painted steel, stainless steel, LED panels, generative software

“Strata” is a large-scale sculpture taking the form of an abstracted mountain range crafted from steel and curved LED panels, powered by generative software that visualizes real time climate data. The sculpture, designed and fabricated in collaboration with multimedia design-build studio Digital Ambiance, draws inspiration from the natural landscape and towering peaks visible from Arizona's valleys, while prompting visitors to engage with the ongoing impacts of climate change and the city's terraforming initiatives. The sculpture's design mirrors the geological concept of strata — layers of rock that chronicle the Earth’s history — using generative technology to reflect the transformation of the planet and local area.

Beth Nybeck
“Flip Side”
Steel, acrylic
Photographer: Amanda Williamson

“Flip Side” is an interactive and brightly colored sculpture installation that showcases the faces and voices of Mesa. This project is meant to display the external and internal aspects of our humanity in a playful way — to look at a person’s face and wonder what their strengths are, or to read about what makes a person proud of themselves and wonder who wrote those words.

“Flip Side” is a temporary installation that will travel to Mesa Public Libraries following City Hall.

Kerrick James
Red Mountain image for perforated metal wall
Photograph

Kerrick James was commissioned to take a photograph of the iconic Red Mountain. The photograph was reproduced using perforations in a metal wall. James has photographed the lands and cities of the American West, Mexico and the Pacific Rim for over 25 years, shooting both adventure and destination travel features.

Ana Herruzo, Arizona State University
Weidi Zhang, Arizona State University
“Sentient Resonance”

Kamil Nawratil, Volvox Labs
“The Fields,” 2024
Digital screen

“Sentient Resonance” is a living digital artwork that senses and responds to the environment in real time. Using data captured from custom environmental sensors, the piece visualizes this information as a dynamic particle system, where attributes such as color, movement and density shift in harmony with the surrounding world.

Each hour, a snapshot is taken, and 24 snapshots are composited into a single still image, revealing the passage of time and the subtle rhythms of the day. Over time, these stills accumulate, creating a visual archive of the environment’s moods and changes across days, seasons and years.

Volvox Labs draws inspiration from the beauty and complexity of nature and natural phenomena. Leveraging advanced computer graphics software and rendering techniques, we craft moving image projects that replicate and reimagine the essence of the natural world. For “The Fields,” we brought our expertise in designing breathtaking, nature-inspired visuals to create a truly unique and immersive experience, captivating every visitor to the new facility.

Zach Valent
Community gallery wall

These wall sculptures offer a glimpse into the ideas, materials and influences shaping Valent’s work. Since moving from the Midwest in 2014, Valent has explored the intersection of natural landscapes and human infrastructure. Initially organic and fossil-like, the aesthetic has evolved into a more structured, architectural style. Blending contemporary and traditional woodworking techniques, Valent’s pieces evoke nostalgia, challenge perceptions and highlight the beauty in everyday life.

Daniella Napolitano, poetry broadside design
Tomas Stanton, poet
“Together Mesa”

“Together Mesa” is a poem by Tomas Staton written for the All-America City National Civic League award event. Daniella Napolitano designed the broadside for Stanton’s poem. Napolitano draws inspiration from nature and ecology, her art explores the diverse and complex relationships between animals, humans and the environment.

Ivan Martinez
Photography in Council Chambers

Ivan Martinez has a passion for capturing the essence of people, places and moments, blending technical skill with an artistic eye. His work aims to tell stories that resonate with viewers, offering a glimpse into the heart and soul of his subjects. I am honored to be a part of Mesa’s artistic landscape and to contribute to the city’s vibrant visual history.

Tuning Fork
Historic photo wall

Tuning Fork, a local art consulting firm, worked in collaboration with city staff to design and produce the gallery and historic photo wall inside City Hall.

One Street Over - Connecting neighborhoods through the arts

Color Walk by Beth Galston.
Color Walk consists of two ribbons of colored glass that are affixed to the metal guardrails of the second and third levels on the west façade of the Studios buildings. The imagery for the glass is based on photographs the artist took in Mesa of the sky at dusk during a rainstorm. The photographs were digitally altered to create a painterly effect creating the experience of pure color and light. The glass panels interact with the intense sunlight to project light and color into the bridge walkways.

Fragmented Landscape by Ned Kahn.
Two shade screens adorn the west-facing wall of the theater building, each consisting of thousands of small aluminum panels that are activated by wind.  The panels of the smaller screen are perforated with different sized holes that, when viewed from a distance, create a photographic image of sand dunes.  A blue-anodized finish that coats the larger screen's panels creates the impression of a vertical sheet of water, rippled by the wind.

Light Storm by Catherine Widgery.
Light Storm consists of over 30,000 stainless steel discs embedded into the paving inside and outside the theater lobbies. Each disc is precisely set at the point where the wave patterns of two enormous vortices intersect, as if a desert wind had caught them and blown them through the lobbies onto the Shadow Walk. The work exists as reflected light only and the overall patterns can be best seen from the stairways above.

Desert Rose (Nuevas Generaciones) by El Mac
Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum Courtyard
Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum commissioned acclaimed artist El Mac (Miles MacGregor) to install an original mural in 2016, in part to celebrate Mesa Arts Center's 10 year anniversary. Mando Rascon assisted to paint the background of the mural. Desert Rose (Nuevas Generaciones), by El Mac, (Miles MacGregor) 2016, Montana aerosol paint.

Mesa Musical Shadows by Daily tous les jours
North side of the Mesa Arts Center campus in front of the light rail stop
Mesa Musical Shadows are activated by the shadows made by people who walk near and across sensors that are now in the north plaza. Each sensor will respond to changes in light, which will trigger different melodic or percussive sounds, emitted through speakers embedded in the ground. If multiple sensors are activated by a group of people playing together, a complex composition can be created.

Memento by Rebecca Ross
Northeast corner, Center St. and First Ave.
In collaboration with Mesa Arts Center architects, local artist Rebecca Ross created this passenger shelter located on the northeast corner of Center Street and 1st Avenue. Memento consists of photographs, both made in and inspired by the Mesa's original square mile, that have been transferred onto porcelain enameled-steel for permanent display. The artist states: "The pictures bear witness to a shared history and give a human face to this entry point into Mesa's new center for discovering the arts."

Yukue
“Saugo's Sonoran Serenade”
Mural

Saugo sits on her cloud bidding the day farewell with her flute song, thanking the land as the sky’s colors melt into clouds and a setting sun.

Kyllan Maney
“Bright Color Arches With Flowers”
Mural

“Inspiration of Light and Color” implies a place of fun and happiness exploring the interplay of space, play, time and observation. Maney created these ideas with this in mind. The possibilities of this interplay are endless and up to children's vast imagination. Bright color archways, bold happy color and fun playful dots all intertwine in this mural. The composition of forms is created in a way to draw people who are driving by the museum as well as be a fun playful way for people to landmark the museum from down the street.

Spectacle Works
Pinwheels

Three towering, larger-than-life pinwheels now stand proudly in front of idea Museum. Guests of all ages can bring them to life with a simple turn of a lightweight hand-held wheel — easy enough for even little hands to spin. As night falls, the magic continues, with each pinwheel lighting up thanks to a solar charger at the top.

Dave Quan/Luster Kaboom
“What’s the Big Idea”

Currently underway, this mural in the museum parking lot celebrates the ingenuity of imagination in a playful, diverse and childlike way.

Bus Shelters

Superstition Springs Transit Center

College Garden Station by Joe Tyler
Southeast corner, Southern & Dobson
This distinctive copper and steel shelter is located along the north edge of the Mesa Community College campus, near the rose garden, and was dedicated April 5, 2005. The artist has designed and produced twelve other transit shelters in Tucson, Tempe, Scottsdale and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Mesa Oasis by Joe Tyler
Southeast corner, Alma School & Southern
A Victorian bird cage provided the inspiration for this 20-foot tall steel and copper structure, which was dedicated June 5, 2004. The artist has designed and produced twelve other transit shelters in Tucson, Tempe, Scottsdale and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Other Pieces

Mesa Fire Station 201
Sculptures and Bas Relief by Judy Stewart
Mesa Fire Station 201
360 E. First St.
Several pieces of art were created for installation in the grass courtyard immediately north of Mesa's newest fire station, located on First St. just west of Mesa Dr. The artist, Judy Stewart, from Oracle, Arizona, was selected by a panel of community members, fire personnel, and project staff.

A series of bas relief plaques was inspired by actual photographs of firefighters from the station's archives, with several smaller sculptures created in response to requests for artwork with which visiting school children could interact.

Suspended Gallery
A six-piece installation by Erik Gonzales
Red Mountain Branch Library
635 N. Power Rd.
The artwork consists of six double-sided art panels, made of Lexan and suspended by aircraft cable, that draw their inspiration from a variety of sources, including the nearby Red Mountain, local plant and animals life, and information found within the library's collection. Some of the pieces incorporate actual quotes from books and numbers from the Dewey Decimal System.