Work begins on new City Hall's public art

Nov. 21—Work crews, some high off the ground welding steel girders, are busy constructing Mesa's new $30 million city hall building on Main Street ahead of a project opening next September.

The plans include public art to adorn the building, and closer to the ground, Mesa residents began collaborating this month with artist Beth Nybeck on a large piece of art that will stand in the lobby of the new City Hall for its first year.

The 10,000 square-foot building, which will include new council chambers, is intended to provide an inviting, Main Street-facing public entrance to the city offices at the City Plaza complex and convey that Mesa is a vital, modern city with a bright future.

Nybeck, a Kansas City-based metal sculptor, submitted a winning proposal for an interior art piece at the City Hall called "Flip Side" consisting of a 20-foot-wide steel structure suspending 300 acrylic tiles with black and white headshots of Mesa residents on one side and a handwritten message on the other side.

The structure will form a large "M" for Mesa, and the top edge will range from 5-to-7-feet tall

"It will be a way that we are bringing in our community into such a celebratory and historic moment," Director of Diversity and Engagement Andrea Alicoate told council members at a recent study session.

Alicoate said the artists envisioned the piece as an interactive installation, and she hopes people explore the sculpture by flipping between the front and back of the tiles, which will be mounted on steel rods.

To collect the photos and the personalized messages, Mesa will hold six "Art in the Park" events at city parks (one in each council district) and invite community members to contribute their picture and a personal message while enjoying music, food, craft tables and other activities.

"What better way to reach out to the community than at a park? Plus we're enjoying the great weather," Community Engagement Coordinator Tania Gerard said at the first event at Whitman Park near Country Club Drive and McKellips Road.

At the first event, live Polynesian music wafted through the air as a food truck hummed and people of all ages checked out the various activities.

Mesa Arts Center staff were stationed at a table helping mostly children create their own tiles for the City Hall art piece, and the staff had plenty of people interested in participating.

Participants were asked to write a response on a colorful tile to one of several available prompts, such as "what is your strength?" or "what parts of your character are you most proud of?"

There are also questions geared specifically for kids, such as "What is something you are good at?"

At the Whitman Park event, one young girl wrote, "I am good at soccer," on a tile and then eagerly walked over to have her picture taken by a local photographer who is collaborating with Nybeck.

Mesa Arts Center staff anticipate collecting hundreds more tiles than required for the art piece.

Nybeck will make the final selection of tiles to include with the goal of making the final piece reflect the demographics of Mesa.

"She wants to capture the community as it is," Gerard said. "It's literally the face of the community."

Council members expressed excitement for the concept at the study session.

"I hope we have a fabulous turnout at all of our parks," Councilwoman Jenn Duff said.

Art in the Park schedule

Art in the Park encourages residents to leave their mark on the City's History by collaborating with artist Beth Nybeck to create a work of art for the new City Hall, leaving their mark on Mesa's history. All events run 5-7 p.m.

—Dec. 7: Jefferson Park, 306 S. Jefferson Avenue.

—Feb. 1: Palo Verde Park, 3135 S. Dobson Road.

—Feb. 15: Reed Park, 1631 E. Broadway Road.

—March 7: Alta Mesa Park, 1910 N. Alta Mesa Drive.

—March 28: August Ranch Park, 9455 E. Neville Avenue.