Transportation Art By Youth

Engaging the Community and Youth through Public Art

In collaboration with the Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility, with funding from the Pima Association of Governments, the Transportation Art By Youth (TABY) program hires youth artists to work with a professional artist in the development of public artwork for the City of Tucson.

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Public Art by Hirotsune Tashima and TABY Youth Artists for the Wagging Tails Dog Park, 2024. Photo by Julius Schlosburg

Transportation art by Youth (TABY)

In partnership with the Pima Association of Governments (PAG) and the City of Tucson Department of Transportation, the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona leads the Transportation Art by Youth (TABY) program, an bi-annual summer initiative that brings together youth, art, and civic engagement through public art.

Each summer, the TABY program hires six to eight youth artists between the ages of 16 and 18 to work alongside a professional teaching artist in the design and creation of a permanent public artwork. Youth participants are employed for nine weeks, typically from late May through the end of July, and gain hands-on experience in all phases of the public art process, from concept development and community engagement to final fabrication and installation.

The program’s goal is to offer meaningful paid opportunities for creative youth while fostering mentorship, artistic skill building, and a sense of civic pride. Completed artworks meet the City of Tucson’s public art standards and contribute to the cultural vibrancy of the region’s transportation corridors.

2024 Transportation art by Youth (TABY)

Hirotsune Tashima led the eight-week summer TABY program with eight youth artists from across the region. Tashima guided the team through the public art design process and the production of six sculptural works and six double-sided interactive puzzle murals, all fabricated from recycled metal street signs.

The artwork was designed to feature imagery of dogs and include the names of dogs submitted by community members, serving both as a placemaking element and a wayfinding strategy aligned with the Ward 4 Office’s vision for welcoming visitors to the new Wagging Tails Dog Park. The youth artists collaborated with a community panel throughout the design process and engaged directly with park users, collecting over 200 dog names that inspired the figures featured in the final works. The design also incorporates birds commonly seen in the park and along the nearby Atterbury Wash, a well-known birding area.

Read the 2024 TABY: a celebration of youth in public art blogpost

Hirotsune Tashima

2024 TABY Teaching Artist

“The youth artists learned a lot of new skills and techniques during this project and it was really rewarding to see them grow,” said Hiro Tashima, Tucson Teaching Artist who was selected by a community panel to lead this year’s TABY project.

Hirotsune Tashima has a MFA from Alfred University, NY and a BFA from Osaka University of Art. He has been teaching at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona since 1999. He is a member of International Academy of Ceramics. He has received numerous grants and commissions from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Arizona Commission on the Arts, Tucson/Pima Arts Council, Phoenix Art Museum, Rotary International, Japanese Government, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and Phoenix Convention Center, City of Tucson and Oro Valley.

His artwork has been collected by a number of private and public museums including Everson Museum of Art, NY, International Ceramic Research Center, SkaelskØr, Denmark, Keramik Museum Westerwald, Germany, and by singer David Bowie.

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From top left, Maya Renzetti, Isis Rivenbark, Candace Wilford, Bailey Montierth, Hirotsune Tashima. Bottom left, Saman Meihami, Wednesday Rosalie Sosa, Marwa Malikzada, Sophia Polyakova, and Ariel Fry.

2021 Transportation art by Youth (TABY)

Artist Tony Plak led the eight-week summer program with nine youth artists from across the region-primarily from the south and west side. One of the goals of the program was to provide youth with an opportunity to be employed and participate in all phases of the design and installation of a public artwork under the guidance of a professional artist.

The artist led the youth through the public art design process and production of artwork that will become part of the streetscape of one of the most significant commercial corridors in the city- South 12 Avenue. The artwork is a series of acrylic murals painted on 10, 39-by-24-inch planters, that will be placed between the sidewalk and the roadway along the corridor.

Council Member Lane Santa Cruz chose the location to beautify the recently completed South 12th Avenue Complete Streets project.

“This year’s TABY uses visual storytelling to document the rich cultural traditions of South 12th” – Ward 1 City Council Member Lane Santa Cruz.

Tony Plak

2021 TABY Teaching Artist

“I really like these types of projects,” said Plak. “Apart from me being able to work on a new project; I am helping young artists to start venturing into public art where they can experience the sensation of sharing their works of art, not only in art galleries or in studios but also in public streets where people can observe the art that young people are doing.”

Este tipo de proyectos me gusta mucho porque aparte de ello puedo de poder trabajar en un nuevo proyecto, estoy ayudando a que otros jóvenes y jóvenes artistas puedan empezar a incursionar en el arte público donde pueden experimentar la sensación de compartir sus obras de arte, no solo en galerías de arte o en estudios sino también en la vía pública donde la comunidad pueda observar el arte que los jóvenes están realizando.

Tony Plak is a muralist and visual artist whose practice is deeply rooted in the cultural and ecological landscape of the borderlands. He began painting graffiti at age 14 and later earned a degree in architecture, which informs his approach to large-scale public art. As co-founder of Nogalería, an arts initiative in Nogales, he has led numerous community-based mural projects that celebrate local identity through vibrant imagery of desert flora, fauna, and regional symbolism. His work reflects a commitment to activating public space, building community pride, and honoring the shared histories of Ambos Nogales.

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From top left, Charlie Valenzuela, Emiliano Reyes, Andrew Lomme, Taranm Akbary, Maria Cazzato, and Ellie Dorland. Bottom left, Angelita Carlos, Nevaeh McKale, Tony Plak, Maya Castle and Anahi Herrera.