Flower Power
Mountain Park Health Center
Snapshot
Flower Power, Mountain Park Health Center
1840 E. Broadway Road, Tempe, AZ (2017)
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Privately funded public art created for the walking path at the new Mountain Park Health Center. Made of steel and ceramic.
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The overall design encompasses a 12' diameter concrete slap with 7 large steel sunflowers, up to 3’ diameter x 11’ tall, growing out of the concrete.
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The layout was designed to be wheelchair accessible and interactive.
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A tile-making workshop was conducted at a local farmers' market to engage the community. These tiles filled the sunflower centers.
Conception
FLOWER POWER is made up of 7 large, oversized Sunflowers placed within a 12’ diameter concrete pad. Sunflowers are native to the Phoenix area and represent the healing elements of nature. The tallest flower stands 11’ tall and the flowers are spaced to be wheelchair accessible and the face holes in the 2 lower flowers encourage interaction and a sense of play. Laughter, after all, is the best medicine.
Creation
The flowers are made of laser-cut, bent, and powder-coated steel. The faces of the flowers are filled with handmade tiles created in part by over 50 community members through an “open to the public” tile-making workshop conducted at a local farmers market. The tiles are made of high-fired, glazed ceramic to endure the Arizona sun.
Completion
These sunflowers stand tall and await your playful presence along the walking path on the campus of Mountain Park Health Center: 1840 E. Broadway Road, in Tempe, AZ. Installed in 2017.