The Power of Public Art

Life is what you make of it and so are the streets you live on.

In recent years, vibrant murals have promoted a sense of belonging, community identification and increased foot traffic to downtown corridors across Maricopa county.

Downtown Chandler recently introduced an event known as the “Mural Mile Tour”. Staff from the Chandler Visual Art’s team led the participants, and shared stories of the vibrant art scene.

The tour includes “reasons for the mural placements in specific locations, background about the artists and their inspirations and techniques used to create the murals,” according to Michelle Hirsch, Vice Chair of the Chandler Arts Commission and Mural Mile Tour attendee.

The “Hum of the Desert” mural by artist Ariana Enriquez, long-term Chandler resident, is located along the canal wall on Boston St., and is one of the multiple murals showcased during the tour.

The mural is filled with bright colors, water motifs, desert flowers, hummingbirds and bees.

“The city of Chandler continues to grow in these vast ways both in building developments and the diverse people who inhabit it,” the artist, Enriquez said. “I thought the king protea flower, along with the numerous bustling hummingbirds in the mural, could visually serve as a symbol to capture this.”

Enriquez draws much of her inspiration from the outdoors due to the “tactile and detailed aspects of it that allow us to be present.” She creates art in hopes that it will brighten someone’s day and help people slow down and appreciate the details.

“The City of Chandler recognizes the importance and value of public art by continuing to support it,” Hirsch said. “City Council established a Percent for Art Ordinance, where one percent of limited capital improvement projects, primarily new buildings and parks, is allocated for the acquisition, commission and installation of public art.”

Hirsch explained the implementation process of bringing new murals into downtown Chandler. It all begins as a simple request for the artwork. That request is followed by a discussion of Art Commission members regarding budget and other city needs or projects. Once agreed on, a Call to Artists is sent out and the artists’ proposals are reviewed by the commission and decided upon.

Proposed mural locations in Chandler are usually “near a public location in the city such as the new Police/Fire Training Facility, a City park, or part of the Downtown development,” Hirsch stated.

Murals are strategically placed throughout cities in order to lure in more locals, tourists, potential new residents and even businesses to the adorned areas.

Hirsch described Enriquez’s work as “a perfect compliment to the canal,” making for a “beautiful view from the San Tan Brewery patio across the street, the San Marcos guests, and anyone walking or driving by.”

Accessible and visible locations are key when it comes to proposing new mural locations. Downtown Mesa’s events and promotions manager, Erica Snyder, agreed with this claim.

Downtown Mesa has experienced a “huge revitalization,” in the past ten years, according to Snyder. She hopes to offer people “a different type of experience when they come to a downtown,” by implementing more colors and transforming Main St. into “a place where people can come and spend an entire day.”

Tre Bella, an event venue, located at 119 W. Main St., is neighbors to an almost 30 year old mural depicting a scene straight out of the fairytale Cinderella.

Since Tre Bella bought the space in 2009, the mural has actively encouraged brides to feel like princesses on their wedding days, “people love to take pictures in front of that, in their wedding dresses on their wedding day,” Snyder said.

The mural reaches audiences larger than newlyweds, “the beauty of art is there’s no concrete meaning,” Logan Cromeens, Arizona native, and visitor to downtown Mesa stated.

“Whenever I walk past the Cinderella mural, I am reminded of the lessons the movie taught me at such a young age,” Abby Seacat, 19, said. “Be kind, be brave and never stop dreaming.”

Murals are much more than a pretty wall that passerbyers get to look at. They embody empowerment and education. Murals “create dialogue about important issues our world is facing,” Seacat said.

Mesa’s newest mural has worked to uplift its community. Kelsey Montague, a Denver-based artist who has created murals all over the world, painted a pair of butterfly wings on the side of a building between North Robson and North Macdonald along Main St. The hashtag “What Lifts You” is painted on the side, and passerbyers are encouraged to share their answer.

Sarah Bluff, Phoenix local, visited the mural and explained that “finding that beautiful place of hope and positivity in moments of contrast,” is what lifts her.

Public art is not a new concept.

The Chauvet Cave, located in Southern France, is one of the most famous prehistoric rock art sites in the world. It was discovered in 1994 but the Paleolithic cave paintings date back over 30,000 years.

Although researchers will never be able to give a definite answer on what this art stood for, it “was based upon and rooted in a cultural experience - an overall belief system which persisted with little change for over twenty millennia”, wrote the Bradshaw Foundation.

The means, methods and techniques of public art have all changed drastically since Paleolithic times.

In 2002, a mural of a girl with a balloon surfaced on the streets of London. This piece grew to become England’s favorite piece of artwork. The mural was created by an anonymous street artist and political activist who goes by the name of Banksy.

It depicts a young girl within arms reach of a red balloon, the audience was left to figure out the rest. Did the girl let go of the balloon? Or did it float towards her?

Some look at it as “an archetypal symbol of childhood and freedom [...] the meaning can be interpreted as a loss of innocence or the arrival of new hope and love,” explained MyArtBroker.com, under Banksy’s artist portfolio.

18 years later, the world still doesn’t have an explanation for the mural, yet that has not stopped Britain from ranking it as its favorite piece of art.

Murals are meant to “showcase society as it is in the time it was created”, according to Book an Artist Team.

“Even if you don't come up with a picture to cure world poverty, you can make someone smile while they're having a piss,” Bansky said.

TheConversation.com, argues that “All too often, strategies for urban regeneration seem to focus on improving a place’s image, instead of the lives of its residents,” TheConversation.com argued.

“Planners and government officials often write off our projects as mere fantasy, which has nothing to do with reality, because our work focuses on tactile and sensuous ways of knowing, as opposed to the rational and technical approaches that prevail in urban planning.”

Enriquez’s experience was different. She called it “special” and thanked Chandler for caring about local artists and supporting their work. She especially liked her project because it has the potential to impact younger generations and teach them that “it is possible to paint on walls.”

There are many factors that go into building communities, but the most important factor will always remain its residents. It is up to them to appreciate the art and interpret its meaning.

Just like an individual's life is their message to this world, a mural is an artist's message to their community.