SE Valley Times

Town of Gilbert recently partnered with Arizona-based muralists to create illustrative, original art on three additional prominent traffic signal cabinets facing Gilbert Road in Gilbert’s Downtown Heritage District. Proposals were solicited through a public call for artists process, and the final artists were selected with the help of a selection committee made up of Heritage District merchants, Redevelopment Commission members and the Town’s staff. Together, they reviewed submissions. The committee selected proposals that honored Gilbert’s rich agricultural heritage, the Town’s deeply held railroad history, as well as an art piece that highlights generational family ties and transformation in the Heritage District.

“This project is adding even more character to an area that is already teeming with our destination’s culture and history,” said Dan Henderson, Economic Development Director for the Town of Gilbert. “The Heritage District is a living art gallery with mural-lined pathways and public art installations at every turn. With these new visuals, we have even more curated imagery in the district helping tell Gilbert’s collective story.”

The newly adorned traffic signal cabinets are located at the following locations:

Location #1: Southeast corner of Gilbert Road and Juniper Avenue

Artist: Kelsey Phillips, Instagram: @keymintt

Title & Artist Description: Steam Locomotive by Sunrise

https://www.gilbertaz.gov/home/showpublishedimage/25199/638248702488585137

In this mural, I combine Gilbert’s history as a railroad town along the Arizona Eastern Railway, various species of native birds, and whimsical clouds and smoke to commemorate the past, present and future of the Town. Wildlife is a fundamental part of living in the Sonoran Desert and the bird species depicted can be found at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, a Gilbert, AZ bird watching destination.

Location #2: Southwest corner of Gilbert Road and the canal / facing Barrio Queen

Artist: Lora Barnhiser, Instagram: @regrain.studio

Title & Artist Description: Patterns from the Earth

https://www.gilbertaz.gov/home/showpublishedimage/25203/638248705388608972

The land we live on provides us with a bounty of textures, patterns and surfaces to visually explore. Gilbert has no shortage of interesting features and foliage, both manmade and from nature.  

Location #3: Southwest corner of Gilbert Road and Elliot Road

Artist: Carla Keaton, Instagram: @keatonfineart

Title & Artist Description:   Gilbert, Then and Now

https://www.gilbertaz.gov/home/showpublishedimage/25201/638248705383452208

This piece was inspired by the time I spent living in Gilbert at my father’s house from 1996-1998. I remember walking the canal trails behind the new neighborhood development and being surrounded by farms on both sides. Now, 20 something years later, the view from the canal is vastly different. There are new homes and businesses along that same canal path, as far as the eye can see. It seemed appropriate to illustrate through this painting, Gilbert’s evolution from a thriving farming community to a thriving downtown.

This is one of several efforts underway to support visual enhancements in the Heritage District. Check out all the local public art that Gilbert has to offer on our interactive Gilbert Art Map.

To learn more, visit Gilbert's Heritage District online. 

Original source can be found here.