PUBLIC ART
PUBLIC ART IS THE HEART OF PARK CENTRAL
Park Central features public art throughout the property, including a mural created by local artist Jane Goat, who was selected after a call to artists was conducted in partnership with Artlink. The mural faces out from the front of the project out to Central Avenue.
Another example of public art is the $38 million Catalina Parking Garage, Arizona’s tallest precast parking structure which brings more than 2,000 new parking spaces to midtown Phoenix to support the Park Central revitalization. The project’s development team selected an artist team consisting of Diana Calderón, Edgar Fernandez and Miguel Godoy to create a massive set of murals on the south side of the garage. Titled “The New Archive,” the murals decorate six 21-foot by 10-foot panels, a more than 1,260-square-foot surface which will become one of the largest public art installations in Arizona.
THE CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY VIRGINIA G. PIPER HEALTH SCIENCES CAMPUS
The Creighton University Virginia G. Piper Health Sciences Campus is now complete at Park Central, including the installation of a broad variety of artwork spanning multiple mediums and platforms. The artwork pays homage to Creighton’s history as well as the history and natural beauty of Arizona, while also spotlighting core principles of the Jesuit faith and creating an exceptional environment for learning for Creighton students.
The building has a focus on local artists and its collection was curated in a collaborative effort with artstudio 1.0.1. On the first floor of the building, there is a rotating art installation that features art from non-profits and other community organizations such as Kids in Focus.
ART FROM PAST AND PRESENT
The art at Park Central also serves as a reminder of the development’s roots. The Sun Worshiper — an iconic steel statue erected at Park Central in the late 1960s and removed during a remodel during the 1980s — has returned to Park Central and greets visitors on the west side of the revitalized property.
Park Central is home to a lineal park that is part of the City of Phoenix’s communitywide bicycling and hiking paths, which has been improved with several pieces of public artwork. In the front of the project, accomplished artist Joan Waters has installed her series, “Totems,” at the entrance to Park Central.
And, the new hotels at Park Central have an eye-catching surprise for visitors — artwork reflecting Arizona’s natural landscape and the bioscience community at the PHOENIX MEDICAL QUARTER.
The artwork is part of an overall focus at Park Central on making art and culture an important part of the property’s revitalization. The developers of the new hotels teamed with artstudio 1.0.1, a local arts consulting firm, to select pieces from local artists to complement the overall art program inside the building, which houses the dual-branded Tru/Home2 Suites by Hilton.
