The Giant Saguaro Neon Sculpture. created by Tucson Artist Dirk Arnold, will be lit up Monday April 5, at an official lighting ceremony. A little history of the neon sculpture can be found at my previous article.

Giant Neon Saguaro Sculpture by Dirk Arnold

It was designed in the spirit of the enduring neon signs of the Miracle Mile area. It stands in the median of Oracle Road, just north of Drachman Street. It’s the public art component of the intersection reconfiguration that removed the roundabout.

The official lighting ceremony will be Monday from 6:15 until 7:00 pm. College Place at 1601 N Oracle Rd is the official gathering place near the sculpture. It’s the former Del Webb’s Hiway House/Statler Hilton hotel on the west side of Oracle. There is plenty of street parking on the side streets on the east side of Oracle.

The Oracle/Miracle Mile area is presently experiencing a major renovation and it is definitely coming back from the degenerated area of the past decade. To see and experience the renewed area I recommend you attend the third annual Miracle Mile Festival, one of the early outcomes of the Oracle Area Revitalization Plan.

This event will be Saturday, April 24, from 9am until 5pm, with the festivities centered by the Oracle and Drachman intersection. This year’s celebration of the Miracle Mile area as Tucson’s historic main motor gateway is sponsored by the area’s new Gateway Business Alliance. There’ll be classic cars, tours of nearby historic sites, food, artists and more. Visit www.celebratehistorictucson.com for more info about the event.

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.

Slide 1 of 12.
Joe Tyler's "Leaves Unfolding"
Source: Photo by Gail MundenSlide 2 of 12.
Matt Moutafis' "Spirit of Oro Valley"
Source: Photo by Gail MundenSlide 3 of 12.
David Voisard's Stainless Steel Sculpture (close-up)
Source: Photo by Gail MundenSlide 4 of 12.
Steve Farley(tile Mural) & David Voisard(metal sculpture) "Reflections"
Source: Photo by Gail MundenSlide 5 of 12.
Steve Farley's Tile Mural
Source: Photo by Gail MundenSlide 6 of 12.
Susan Gamble, Saint Theresa Tile Works Mural
Source: Photo by Gail MundenSlide 7 of 12.
Gail Munden's "At The End Of The Day"
Source: Photo by Gail MundenSlide 8 of 12.
Carrie Seid's Silk Wall Sculpture
Source: Photo by Gail MundenSlide 9 of 12.
Amy Kyle's "A Day In Havasu Falls"
Source: Photo by Gail MundenSlide 10 of 12.
John Davis' "Sky Ranger"
Source: Photo by Gail MundenSlide 11 of 12.
Mark Rossi at Splendido (Untitled)
Source: Photo by Gail MundenSlide 12 of 12.
Paul Orzech's "Celebration In Blue"
Source: Photo by Gail Munden

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THE BIKE SANCTUARY, TUCSON’S NEWEST PUBLIC ARTS PROJECT, got off to a celebratory start over the weekend.

New Bike Sanctuary in Barrio Anita

About 200 people gathered at the sanctuary site at the southwest corner of Main and Davis in Barrio Anita for the inaugural. The 12 by 12 foot steel frame sculpture is dedicated to bicyclists who have been injured or died and stands as the northern gateway to the proposed El Paso and Southwestern Greenway, a six-mile long bicycle and pedestrian path to run on a former railroad corridor from downtown, through South Tucson and to the Kino Sports Center.

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