Public Art Conference Archive—2004
Concurrent Sessions: Reconnecting a City to It's Source
Presenters:
- Ann Alger, Public Art Project Manager, Phoenix Office of Art and Culture, Phoenix, AZ
- Laurie Lundquist, Artist, Tempe, AZ
- Marie Navarre, Artist, Tempe, AZ
- Raphael Ngotie, Public Art Project Manager, Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, Phoenix, AZ
- Sharon Southerland, Public Art Consultant, Coeur d’Alene, ID
A remarkable network of canals has supported the growth of Phoenix within the Sonoran Desert. The canal system that defined agrarian Phoenix virtually disappeared from public consciousness as the city grew up around it.
Recognizing the meaning, history, and beauty of this primary infrastructure system, the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture’s Public Art Program has become a catalyst for developing the potential of the canal corridors within the city. Through a series of collaborations and partnerships between communities, artists, governmental and private agencies the Public Arts Program is affecting major changes along these urban waterways.
The canal corridors are reemerging as a regional network of trails with inspirational places where residents can reconnect to the city’s source.
