New public art highlights bikes, transformation and sustainability

Have you spotted the new art around Tempe? Three bike lockers and one utility box have recently been refreshed thanks to the help of locally based artists.

Individually, each locker represents the creative styles and interpretation of each artist. Together, these projects add to the vibrant public art tapestry enjoyed by Tempeans in places and spaces throughout the city.

The four projects were the result of a request for qualifications application that invited local artists to submit. For the bike lockers, the selected artists were asked to create designs that were inspired by cycling within Tempe while considering the greater surroundings of each box. The newly painted utility box was part of a larger project that sought to beautify existing boxes throughout downtown.

Learn more about each artwork and where to visit them:

“Transported Transportation” by Genise McGregor

Bike storage locker, Tempe City Hall (northwest corner)

City Hall visitors and passersby are immediately welcomed by a scene featuring a rider on a green bicycle. The brightly colored imagery captures the joy of riding in a natural Arizona landscape with Tempe Butte in the background. On the other side of the locker is a vibrant depiction of the historic City Hall. The work emphasizes the joy of riding through our beautiful desert landscape and highlights the continuing history of sustainability of which Tempe is known.

Genise McGregor works in mixed-media, acrylic paint and block print. Her desert pieces use bold colors and gestural forms to express the vivacity of the Sonoran Desert. McGregor's figurative work is detailed and presents rich narratives of the human experience for the viewer to discover.

“Low and Slow C/S” by Francisco “Enuf” Garcia

Bike storage locker, Tempe City Hall (northeast corner)

This strictly functional metal bicycle storage locker has been turned into a work of art by embellishing it with imagery that celebrates the bicycle. The purpose of the project is to encourage employees at municipal facilities to use bicycles as an alternate form of transportation. The artist incorporated abstract design on all sides of the bike locker with a central image of a lowrider bicycle to honor the Chicano culture in the Southwest, specifically Arizona.

Francisco “Enuf” Garcia is an art educator and entrepreneur who creates public art that contains empowering messages. Some of his favorite mediums are oils, acrylics, print making, air brush, photography and mixed media. His art has been featured in PBS, Fox News, CNN, Arizona Republic, New Times and films.

This piece honors some of the burrowing creatures of the southwest. Inspired by the way books allow us to peek into worlds that we usually can’t see, this design is a peek into the amazingly complex underground world where many southwest wildlife take refuge. For all of us, and particularly for cyclists moving fast, it is important to remember who else we share the trails with (above and below) and to have an awareness of how we affect our environment.

Maxie Adler’s work explores the interconnection of the environment, storytelling and material culture. Adler works in many different creative mediums, including painting, weaving, dying and screen printing. She often works with found objects and recycled materials.

“The Garden of Peace” by Venessa Chavez

Utility box, southwest corner of Rio Salado Parkway and Ash Avenue

This artwork is inspired by the change and healing work that the artist and many people she knows are going through. "Transitions and growing pains happen to get to a better place,” artist Venessa Chavez said. “True love and acceptance happen when we don’t try to hold something and smother the life out of it. When we finally release is when we can appreciate love and beauty in its true form."

Chavez is an interdisciplinary artist and art educator. She has been creating art for as long as she can remember. A native of what’s considered to be the most tropical desert, her colorful works of art pay homage to her Chicana cultura. Her vibrant personal style expresses who she is and reflects what she loves.

Connect with Tempe Public Art! 

Learn more about public art and upcoming artist opportunities at tempe.gov/PublicArt.

Tempe Public Art aspires to cultivate a unique community identity that advances Tempe as a vibrant and progressive destination. Tempe's diverse collection of permanent and temporary public art complements the natural and built environment through innovative place-making, installations, and infrastructure enhancements. Tempe Public Art promotes artistic expression, bringing people together to strengthen Tempe's sense of community and place.