Introducing “Reviving Tucson’s Artscape with Abby”! Join us in celebrating the efforts of our Public Art Collections Manager, Abby Christensen, as she collaborates with government officials, community members, and local artists to restore and rejuvenate Tucson’s cherished public art pieces. In this series, we’ll showcase the transformation of these pieces, starting with Mary Lucking’s Dunbar Spring Circle Signs and Tidi Ozeri’s Welcome!. Stay tuned for more stories of art restoration and our commitment to preserving Tucson’s cultural heritage. We hope this series will inspire you to cherish the public art in your own neighborhoods and lived environments.
Dunbar Spring Circle Signs
In early summer of 2023 The Arts Foundation and DTM worked together to facilitate maintenance and restoration of the artwork spanning three traffic circles called Dunbar Spring Circle Signs. The artwork was originally created by Mary Lucking in 2003 and after twenty years out in the sun, these artworks in the style of classic traffic signs, but featuring imagery reflective of the neighborhood and the history of the area showed significant fading and even a few signs that had been hit by cars! At the artist’s suggestion, we brought in Cook and Company sign makers to restore the artwork. Their detail-oriented work restored the artwork back to its original shine and the signs are vibrant yet again. The artwork is located in traffic circles at the intersections of 9th Ave and 5th St, 9th Ave and 1st St, and 11th Ave and 1st St.
Welcome!
Brought to our attention by Barrio Centro neighborhood residents, the 2012 artwork Welcome! by Tidi Ozeri was in need of care. Located in a traffic circle, the artwork had been damaged in a car accident, moving it out of its center placement. Tidi Ozeri connected us with Doug Thompson of Doug Thompson Metalcraft to facilitate these repairs. He transported the sculpture back to his shop where he did both structural repairs and repainted the base of the sculpture back to its original colors. He then cleaned up any brush or weeds within the traffic circle and replaced the sculpture, restored to back to its original, vibrant condition. This artwork is located in the traffic circle at 26th St and Treat Ave.
Stay Tuned for more Public Art Maintenance Updates!
