Public Art Irrigation Standpipes

Just west of Arizona State University and south of downtown, the Maple Ash Neighborhood is the oldest extant neighborhood in the city of Tempe. It is a neighborhood of front porches, sense of community and wonderful, lush vegetation. Flood irrigation is largely responsible for the oasis of greenery and is delivered through a series of irrigation standpipes prominently perched on street corners throughout the neighborhood.
The standpipes are often magnets for graffiti, garbage and transients. To bring visual interest to the neighborhood and deter unwanted elements, a multi-phase project was initiated to transform the irrigation standpipes into works of art. Each standpipe will have a unique but related design that will be of mixed media and will carry historic architectural elements reflective of the heritage of the neighborhood. The design also will be unreceptive to graffiti, garbage and vagrancy. The design, fabrication or installation will be done collaboratively with neighborhood artists and neighborhood children. This one features a Gila woodpecker in a colorful mosaic.