Scottsdale Public Art Installs Five New IN FLUX Artworks

As part of the Valley-wide IN FLUX temporary art program, Scottsdale Public Art has installed five new artworks in the southern end of the city.

The artworks for IN FLUX Cycle 9 include "#bluewing" by Cherie Buck-Hutchison and Curtis Hutchison, "Meditation on Fragmented Space" by Daniel Mariotti and three separate pieces, installed together, by John David Yanke: "Secondary Effusion," "Stored Echoes" and "To Atone." As is customary with IN FLUX artworks, the pieces will only be on display for about a year and will not become part of the city of Scottsdale's permanent art collection.

Tanya Galin, public art coordinator for Scottsdale Public Art, said the IN FLUX program is a good way to help local artists "get their feet wet" in the public art process. All three artists are based in Phoenix.

"We hope they walk away with a better understanding of the steps it takes to complete a public art piece with a municipality," Galin said. "And we hope it encourages them to apply to other public art projects."

Mariotti's cast bronze sculpture "Meditation on Fragmented Space" is installed on the northeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Roosevelt Street. The piece, which implements a buried earth patina that will show through over time, was inspired by "an exploration of calmness in self-reflection and nostalgia."

Participating in IN FLUX has been a positive experience for Mariotti, who appreciated the assistance and communication of Scottsdale Public Art through the process.

"I hope this program continues to grow and exhibit new artists just beginning in the public sphere," Mariotti said. "It's such a good opportunity that helps artists understand what public art can look like with the guidance that is needed to begin."

Now in its ninth cycle, IN FLUX is designed to bring together art, economic development and property management organizations throughout the greater Phoenix area, providing opportunities for Arizona artists to create site-specific temporary public art installations in a variety of locations.

Buck-Hutchison, who created the wing-shaped "#bluewing" with her husband, said she appreciates how the IN FLUX program supports local artists while bringing a rotating and attractive variety of art to the public. Their visually striking ceramic tile mosaic wing - installed on the northeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Oak Street - takes its inspiration from the color in which it was rendered.

"I was inspired not only by artists' use of the color blue but also by the saturated blue of high-elevation skies in the Southwest and the metaphorical, mythical wings from art history," Buck-Hutchison said.

These inspirations led her to create a sculpture that connects the urban landscape to the vibrant Sonoran sky. "#bluewing" is also ready-made for Instagram photo-ops. The sculpture is low enough that an art-lover can pose with the piece, making it appear as if the wing is sprouting from their back.

Yanke, whose three pieces are installed at Miller Plaza, a commercial center on the northeast corner of Miller Road and Indian School Road, called IN FLUX a "tremendous vehicle for highlighting local artists' works."

The three colorful Yanke pieces complement each other with the two spring-based creations, "Secondary Effusion" and "Stored Echoes," framing a more traditional sculpture, "To Atone." For secondary "Secondary Effusion," Yanke used mattress spring units with water-based enamel, and for "Stored Echoes," he used coil springs and spiral wire with water-based enamel. "To Atone" was created with marine-grade plywood and water-based enamel.

"I enjoy recycling the original intent within the designs in order to reveal the beauty of the design," Yanke said. "This happens both through the use of vibrant hues, whose value and intensity appear to change with ambient lighting, and the overall configuration, which produces ever-changing, intriguing shadows."

To learn more about the history of IN FLUX, visit Scottsdale Public Art's Immerse blog: ScottsdalePublicArt.org/2020/07/22/origins-of-in-flux/. Additional information on this cycle's Scottsdale-based artworks can also be found at Scottsdale Public Art's website: ScottsdalePublicArt.org/work/in-flux-cycle-9/. And information about the program in general and other artworks across the Valley can be found at the IN FLUX website: INFLUXaz.com.

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