Strata: Gateway to the Catalinas
As people settled in this region, they gave a succession of names to the mountains. Each monument bears one of these names. The first one, Babat Doag (Frog Mountain), is in the language of the Tohono OOdham. Santa Catalinas traces to the Spaniards and refers to a saint. Mount Lemmon was named by an English-speaking botanist and pays homage to his wife. And the latest name, Sky Islands, derives from contemporary ecologists. The names represent the historical strata of the Tucson valley.
Art Form: Sculpture
Location: Eastside
Collection(s): Pima County
Funding: Department of Transportation
Artist(s): Chris Tanz
Chris Tanz, Strata: Gateway to the Catalinas, 2005.
Lining the roadway leading to the Catalina mountains, artist Chris Tanz created 4 sculptural monuments of rammed earth and aluminum mimicing the nearby mountain landscapes.
Address: Catalina Highway: Tanque Verde Rd. to Houghton Rd.
