A new exhibit in Phoenix showcases more than 50 pieces of community artwork. Professional artists, novices, and even kindergarten students submitted pieces for the “Mapping: Movement and Memory” exhibit in the University Center on Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix campus. We’ll show you how a variety of community members incorporated motherhood, immigration, dance and architecture into the free exhibit which runs through December 6.
Ted Simons: A new art exhibit in downtown Phoenix features over 50 pieces from established artists to a five-year-old. Producer Christina Estes and photographer Juan Magana take us inside the University Center at ASU's College of Public Programs.
Christina Estes: It's easy to rush through the lobbies and down the halls without noticing what's covering the walls, but then you'd miss this.
Carrie Tovar: This exhibit is called Mapping, Movement and Memory.
Christina Estes: Three floors of artwork, celebrating the meaning and purpose of maps.
Carrie Tovar: When you send out the call to artists, you don't know what you are going to receive, and that is part of the excitement in being involved in the community.
Christina Estes: Curator of art, Carrie Tovar, put out the call and received more than 50 pieces, including two featuring motherhood.
Carrie Tovar: And she did present motherhood with a mother and child superimposed on a map, a present day map, and she also did a wonderful collage of an old world style painting of mother and child, superimposed on an old map that comes from the 1400s.
Christina Estes: Another professional artist used the movement Carrie Tovar: theme to highlight immigration.
Carrie Tovar: The figures that you see kind of floating up, are floating up from Mexico to the United States. He has entitled it "Soaring Dreamers."
Christina Estes: Carrie combined her love of maps and butterflies to create this piece.
Carrie Tovar: It was really a fun and cathartic experience for me because I got to look up the maps and relive all of my travels, just by looking at them, and remembers the places that I was able to visit and landmarks, and so it was really a nice experience to be able to participate myself.
Christina Estes: The youngest artist, just five years old, maps movement another way.
Carrie Tovar: She is an avid performer. She likes to dance and she loves music and she has parents who are very musical and artistic. And so, she mapped out with little stick figures, dance moves with little arrows showing how you are supposed to move, and underneath it, she drew musical notes to accompany the movements.
Christina Estes: If you are looking for the best Crème Brulée in Paris, hop on the metro line and follow this hand drawn map to get to St. Paul. That's where you will look for the green awning.
Carrie Tovar: This is one of the submissions to the exhibit. It is a map of Phoenix, and she has outlined Phoenix with all the individual areas and neighborhoods.
Christina Estes: This artist used needlepoint to plot out the places where she has cried.
Carrie Tovar: There is one up here. I always wonder about that little floating cry up here at the top. But most of them are, are right around here which seem to be central Phoenix.
Christina Estes: Building a replica of downtown phoenix helps students at Phoenix Day School learn about architectural designs, and create their own. Straws, glitter, and silver paint, make up the crown on top of city hall.
Carrie Tovar: Art is a wonderful thing to share.
Christina Estes: While many artists focus on specific cities, states, or countries, the fourth graders behind this one take us to the ice cream cone-shaped Rainbow Island, home to Candyland, Root Beer River, and the Talking Animal Farm.
Passerby: I will let you know last week.
Carrie Tovar: We're hoping that people notice it. It's here, and for them. And even if they are waiting for class or waiting for something else, maybe just to take a look down the hall. And what I hope for each exhibit is that they wonder what it's about. And then maybe, in my perfect world, I would love for them to think of what they, themselves, would contribute.
Ted Simons: The exhibit is free and open during regular business hours through December 3rd. The next exhibit is scheduled for January with a focus on community portraits. Thursday on "Arizona Horizon," an ArtBeat special, we'll look at the metal artwork of Kevin Caron and see how Laura Spaulding takes everyday urban street scenes and turns them into art on the next "Arizona Horizon." That's it for now, I'm Ted Simons, thank you very much for joining us. You have a great evening and a great Thanksgiving.
