The Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance (SAACA) have published the first-ever catalogue of public art in Oro Valley. The book, Excellence by Design: A Visual History of Public Art in Oro Valley, Arizona,” features detailed information about more than 70 works of art scattered throughout the town.

Entries include biographical information about the artists, personal statements from artists about their work (wherever possible) and the location of each piece. 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. Since Oro Valley adopted its 1% for Public Art Program in 1997, artists have created more than 100 unique works of art throughout the town.

In the following slide show you will see some of our local artists featured within the book.

In May 2007, the National Endowment for the Arts invited SAACA to tackle a community-focused project. The Alliance received a grant through the “Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Invitational Initiative,” which it used to publish the book. Gail Munden – an artist, Oro Valley resident, and SAACA board member photographed most of the art depicted in these pages, contacted the artists and was responsible for the overall layout and design of “Excellence by Design.”
 
 ”Since its adoption, the town’s public art mandate has resulted in a collection of sculpture and fine art that establishes Oro Valley as excellent by design,” Munden says.

On Wednesday, November 18, the books went on sale at a public introduction in the community room of the Oro Vista Luxury Apartments at 1301 W. Lambert Lane.  The reception had over 20 local public artists attending.

SAACA Executive Director Amanda Kate Marquez says “Excellence by Design” will document for posterity the depth and breadth of Oro Valley’s commitment to the arts. Certainly, when compared to other communities of its size, Oro Valley boasts one of the nation’s largest collections of public artwork. By passing a 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 reflects the success of that effort.”

EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN: A Visual History of Public Art In Oro Valley, Arizona (9″ X 12″ / 112 pages) Price: Softbound versions cost $35; hard -bound versions cost $80. For Purchase Information: Pat Deely at (520) 797-3959, ext. 2, Email pat@saaca.org

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 11:52 am and is filed under arts, Tucson Art. Tags for this post: Book, Oro Valley, public art. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.