Here We Are

Indian School Stories is part of a larger art project called Here We Are that will be installed at the Indian School Station on the new light rail line in Phoenix in 2008.

The project consists of three parts:

These 22" x 30" glass panels will be mounted in a fence that runs along side the entry ramps to the platform.
There are two groups with six panels in each: one at the north end of the platform, and one at the south.
Since passengers will be seeing them as they walk both to and from the platform, each group is meant to be read
left-to-right and right-to-left (or, as seen on this webpage, top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top).

Click on the image below to see all of the glass panel designs.

Near the ticket machines at the north and south entrance to the station, I have designed two 8 ft. x 10 ft. terrazzo "murals" that will be installed in the ground. Each mural will feature a photograph of Central Avenue as it looked in 2004 -- one looking north, the other looking south, before the light rail was installed.

At fifteen points on the train platform, I will install sets of "memory markers" based on oral histories about the area. Mounted on the station¹s vertical columns, each memory marker will consist of between 3 and 5 baked enamel panels. Each 5 in. x 7 in. panel will feature a black-and-white historic photograph of a place near the station, with text and silhouettes printed on top. The text will describe a memory of an event that happened at that site, and the silhouettes will illustrate that memory in action. A long arrow will connect each series of panels, and point in the direction of the memory's location.

Central and Indian School is a part of Phoenix that holds a complex web of memories for those who have spent time there. My artwork is intended to express the breadth and diversity of experiences in this part of the city -- something that that will teach people about what this place in the city means. Having grown up in Phoenix, I feel privileged to have the opportunity to learn more about the history of my hometown, and want to honor this gift by working with the community to create something we can all teach with, and learn from, and embrace.