Scottsdale Public Art’s Bell’e Art Second Installation Begins Dec. 10

Toby Atticus’ Robots in Flight to be displayed until April 24, 2009

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Scottsdale Public Art, with the support of Clarence and Lona Furuya, is giving artists an opportunity to alter and enhance the Scottsdale Civic Center Bell Tower, a key entry point to the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall. Five artists will engage visitors and residents through a series of installations, which began after Labor Day 2008 and will run through June 2010.

The next installation, Robots in Flight by Toby Atticus Fraley, will be on display starting Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008 until April 24 of next year. Toby Fraley recycles vintage household items such as coffee thermoses, vacuum cleaners and picnic jugs into art. Fraley proposes to add to his previous series of Robots with a new batch of designs. In the bell tower the Robots will be riding rockets, parachuting to safety, sailing on rustic wings among other ideas. His aim is to create a chaotic robotic air show. Fraley is a full time artist residing in Washington, Penn. His whimsical eclectic pieces have found homes in the Google headquarters, the residences of Hollywood stuntmen and Grammy Award-winning musicians.

Stay tuned for these upcoming installations in 2009 and 2010:

• Bubble Fountain, by Tempe residents Melissa McGurgan & Marco Rosichelli, will be on display May 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009. When a passerby walks through the bell tower it will trigger scented bubbles (alternating citrus, mint, salt water) to float down creating a fun and refreshing atmosphere to greet the onset of summer. McGurgan and Rosichelli, both recognize the appeal and fascination of water to the desert dweller.
• Barn Devil, by Christopher Fennell, will be on display Sept. 1, 2009 through Feb. 5, 2010. Christopher Fennell brings together dust devils and the wood of old barns to create a powerful sculpture that activates and defines the space of the bell tower. The installation creates a tension between the bottom rectilinear structure and the upper organic swirl. The lower part of the structure will be four large beams leaning forward, as if into a strong wind, and the upper part will be pulled backward as if the upper part of the structure is caught in a twisting wind. The viewer will not only be able to stand below it and look up into the sculpture like a tree but they will also be able to go up on the second floor and look down upon the spiral.
• The final installation, Photo-Luminescent Sound Garden by Todd Ingalls and Mary Neubauer, will be on display Feb. 12, 2010 through June 4, 2010. Ingalls and Neubauer focus on the interrelationship of music and visual form. A suspended garden of four to six translucent layered forms will have a photo-luminescent surface to absorb the sunlight and cause the sculptures to glow in various colors into the night. Pedestrians below will activate soft bell-like tones. Both light and sound will respond to the differing rhythms of people and time passing. Both work as art educators at Arizona State University where they involve classes with public art assignments.

 The Bell Tower is located at 7373 E. Scottsdale Mall adjacent to the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Old Town Scottsdale. While the area is currently under construction, Scottsdale Public Art is proud to beautifying the area with these unique pieces of art.

For updated information about this exhibit and these artists, please visit http://www.scottsdalepublicart.org/. 

About Scottsdale Public Art
The mission of the Scottsdale Public Art Program is to make Scottsdale one of the most desirable communities in the country in which to live, work and visit by incorporating art and design projects throughout. In 1985, the City of Scottsdale established the Scottsdale Public Art Program with the goal to enhance the quality of life for its residents and visitors. Since then more than 60 permanent and temporary public artworks have been commissioned throughout the community. Scottsdale’s program and projects have won local, regional and national awards. Public art has taken many forms ranging from the walls of the Pima Freeway to James Turrell’s “skyspace” at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. The Scottsdale Public Art Program is managed by the Scottsdale Cultural Council, a private, non-profit 501 (c) (3) management organization that administers the arts and cultural affairs of the City of Scottsdale and also manages the Scottsdale Center for the Arts and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.

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