Dirk Arnold's Wishbone

On Friday, March 2, at the Temple Gallery  Dirk Arnold’s new exhibition, Dirk Arnold: Endangered Architecture features Arnold’s framed shadowbox miniatures of Tucson’s historic building facades, many of which have disappeared as generic urban sprawl has encroached upon the city. The exhibition opens with an artist reception on Friday, March 2, 2012, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, and runs through April 3.

Although trained as an architect, Arnold’s true love was constructing architectural models. Endangered Architecture was born of a happy communion between his training and the desire to preserve Tucson’s unique cultural heritage before it is lost to the chain stores and strip malls that are remaking the American city into a model of ubiquity and sameness.

Loft Cinema by Dirk Arnold

Arnold’s shadowboxes, such as the façade of the Tucson Warehouse & Transfer Co., transcend mere nostalgia. Architectural models, now themselves replaced by software, are the perfect, optimistic representation of the building-to-be, of the future.

Arnold’s shadow boxes capture that optimism, at the same time that they frame the architecture in a specific time. For Arnold, Tucson’s future is in highlighting and protecting the best of its past.  Arnold is also a local contributor to public art, recognized for his Tucson gateway neon saguaro. Dirk J. Arnold obtained a B.S. in Architecture from Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan. His professional background includes graphic design, technicalcommunication, and multimedia development.

DETAILS of Exhibition:

Exhibition:   Dirk Arnold: Endangered Architecture

Location: T E M P L E  G A L L E R Y / 330 S. Scott Avenue/ Tucson, AZ 85701

Phone: (520) 625-7370

Dates:    March 2, 2012 – April 3, 2012

Reception:   Friday, March 2, 2012, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Regular Hours: Monday–Friday, 10am–5pm & before Arizona Theatre Company performances on Sat. & Sun.