Practice
Each work of art has a voice, it speaks to each of us in unique ways. Exhibitions and Public Art bring creative voices together to present a beautiful, visual symphony.
Stories of Nesting
Mitchell Park East & West Neighborhoods
9th and Roosevelt
Tempe, Arizona – 2008
Two (2) water dispersing culverts, 5’ d x 5.5’ h
medium: handmade sculptural tile, smalti glass tile, stone
The theme selection for the design of these two standpipes was the unique diversity of birds that have been seen in this area of Tempe, AZ due in part because of the large trees and dense plant materials in the landscape which may have influenced the flight path of birds migrating from South America to North America. Bird image selection includes the Great Horned Owl, Male Cardinal protecting the nest, Red-Winged Blackbird, Yellow Finch, Gila Woodpecker along with various tree and plant imagery, and references to water & rain, the sun & moon, wind, our vast cosmos, and mountain & land ranges.
The message that Joan brought to the table was the importance of exploring and taking responsibility for our dramatic interconnectedness to the environment and all beings. All are precious and all require our personal involvement for safe keeping and well being. Public Art has this ability, partly due to its scale, to deliver and draw attention to these significant and timely issues of the day. Joan blended realism and abstract expressionism techniques to deliver a vivid and emotional expression of the environment we share. Her use of reclaimed and up-cycled tile materials enhanced the project during a series of workshops where residents came to her studio to assist in the glazing and hand-building of many elements used in the final installation. Small handmade clay nests, raindrops and glazed tile shards used to form the sky were among the various accomplishments of the workshop participants.
Stories of Nesting I
The unique diversity of birds that have been seen in this area of Tempe provides the theme for the design of Stories of Nesting I. Large trees and dense plant material in the landscape may have influenced the flight path of birds migrating from South America to North America. Here, bird images include the Great Horned Owl, Male Cardinal protecting the nest and Yellow Finch, along with various tree and plant imagery. Baron blended realism and abstract expressionism techniques to deliver a vivid and emotional interpretation of the shared environment. Her use of reclaimed and up-cycled tile materials enhanced the project during a series of workshops where residents came to her studio to assist in the glazing and hand-building of many of the elements used in the installation. Workshop participants made the small, handmade glazed tile shards used to form the sky.
Stories of Nesting II
The unique diversity of birds that have been seen in this area of Tempe provides the theme for the design of Stories of Nesting II. Large trees and dense plant material in the landscape may have influenced the flight path of birds migrating from South America to North America. Bird images include the Gila Woodpecker and Red-Winged Blackbird along with numerous tree and plant imagery. References to water and rain, the sun and moon, wind, the vast cosmos and mountain and land ranges are apparent. Baron’s piece presents the message of the importance of exploring and taking responsibility for the dramatic interconnectedness to the environment and all beings. All are precious and all require personal involvement for safe keeping and well-being. Public art has this ability, partly due to its scale, to deliver and draw attention to these significant and timely issues of the day.
