City of Tempe, AZ
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Past Events
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Spring Celebrations
Closing the 2023-24 season, the Spring Celebrations series occurred throughout the month of April in six Tempe Parks: Corbell Park, Optimist Park, Scudder Park, Meyer Park, Indian Bend Park and Mary and Moses Green Park.
Along with local musicians, food trucks and themed art activities, this series featured a special theatrical performance of LaLaLuna in the Park by Wolfe Bowart of The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre.
Block Parties
The 2024 Block Party series occurred throughout the months of January and February in six Tempe Parks. Theming for each park was selected based on surveys collected from September's Kick-Off events.
Parks themed to Surrealism: Indian Bend Park, Mary and Moses Green Park, Optimist Park and Scudder Park
Parks themed to Pop Art: Corbell Park and Meyer Park
This series also featured, a temporary, interactive art installation titled "Soft Surrealism" created by Los Angeles-based artist Mandy Palasik encouraging community collaboration and play.
Kick-Off Events
Opening the 2023-24 season, the Kick-Off series occurred throughout the month of September in six Tempe parks: Meyer Park, Scudder Park, Corbell Park, Indian Bend Park, Mary and Moses Green Park and Optimist Park.
These events offered an opportunity for the Community Arts team to meet the local communities with food trucks, art activities for all ages and performances from local Tempe bands.
Kick Off Events
Free for all ages, these 8 events featured live music, arts activities and opportunities to provide valuable feedback to shape the Arts in the Parks programs happening in 2023.
Block Parties: Music and Movement
We provided participants new and exciting ways to engage with the live music of local bands at these 5 events. Activities included creating a poseable dancer sculpture, making tambourines, a dance competition, and even local hula hoop performer Serene Isabelo.Block Parties: Nature
We featured make-and-take art activities that allowed participants to celebrate the great outdoors through art at 5 events. Visitors could decorate nature notebooks with a scavenger hunt inside, design vibrant wood necklaces, and even create a mini magical door ornament to open portals to new worlds!
Spring Celebrations
This event closed out our 2022-23 season with an engaging dance adaptation of Peter Pan by Elektro Dance Academy at 7 parks. Audience members were led through short, interactive choreography at the end of the performance. Prior to the show, visitors created a free, custom tie-dye shirt and enjoyed live music from local bands.
Quilted fence art at Indian Bend Park
Artist Oliverio Balcells integrated survey results from the Indian Bend Park community into his fence art design for the park’s tennis court. The installation combines a patchwork of survey respondents’ favorite colors, flowers and birds into this quilt-like art piece that stretches along the top of the south and east sides of the fence.
Playful Portal fence art at Optimist Park
Artist Lisa Hoffner brought her love of color and pop culture to this design by creating a playful visual portal between Fuller Elementary School and Optimist Park. This installation was constructed from a combination of painted wood panels, jewel-like acrylic shapes and holographic vinyl and depicted an array of rainbows and emojis.
Seek-And-Find fence art at Scudder Park
Incorporating the imagery of plants, animals and objects found between Rover Elementary School and Scudder Park, artist Sarah Hurwitz designed a giant Seek-and-Find activity that park visitors of all ages could enjoy. Hurwitz cast delicate hand-drawn designs into colorful panels made of fiberglass resin.Eggs fence art at Selleh Park
True to her artist moniker, Lizzy “Lady Egg” Lubitsky created a sizzling fence art installation for the fence between the Selleh Park playground and Curry Elementary School. Lubitsky created seven 3-D fried eggs out of UV and impact resistant materials and attached these sunny side up adornments to the fence.Cactus fence art at Harelson Park
Inspired by local colors and cacti, artist Nicole Ponsart designed this Sonoran Desert scene for her installation on the Harelson Park tennis court. This design reflected the Harelson Park community's love of gardening, nature and exploring the outdoors. These larger-than-life botanicals and abstract cloudscapes were printed and attached to the corners of the sport court fence.
Breaking Pachanga: Dance & Live Music
The Community Arts team collaborated with Ruby Morales, a renowned local and national dancer, to bring an arts-filled evening to Daley, Goodwin, Hudson and Svob Parks. The event gathered the Tempe community to celebrate the fusion of Mexican Culture and hip hop with dance forms combining Cumbia and Breaking. Included in the event was a dance performance, art activities, food trucks, music mixed by a local DJ and drum performances from members of Grupo BombAZo!
Thought Bubble Theatre Festival
The Community Arts team collaborated with ASU-based Thought Bubble Theatre to bring an arts-filled afternoon at Selleh, Scudder, Harelson and Papago parks. Residents brought family and friends of all ages to experience three unique performances directed by ASU graduate students (The One and Only Sarah Stonely, Bubbled Up and The Box) along with live music, art activities and food trucks.
Painting in the Park Classes
In the Fall and Spring, residents spent time outside bringing the canvas to life during a guided painting classes with Tempe artist Paige Reesor. These classes included both an all-ages class and a more focused adult-level workshop.Sport Bird fence art at Harelson Park
Artists Koryn Woodward Wasson and Roy Wasson Valle, created this artwork by pairing birds with park activities. The Abert’s Towhee, Northern Mockingbird and Vermilion Flycatcher are all common visitors at Harelson and thanks to this installation, they could play tennis, basketball or soccer with park residents. In the meditation garden? Anna’s Hummingbird is there. In the new ramadas? Our house sparrow can help clean up. These little bird friends can be found throughout the installation, popping up on your daily walk and swooping in from above. The artists hope this artwork will encourage you to find surprises and adventure in your daily routines.
Sunflowers fence art at Scudder Park
Local artist, Kyllan Maney, wove together sunflowers and butterflies thatdanced along the fence. This artwork is a large-scale needlepoint using everyday
materials like flagging tape and sunshade screens. Kyllan worked with aspects of
nature that reminded her of the feelings of tranquility, discovery, spirituality andawe that exist when looking at plants and objects closely.
Looping Lane fence art at Selleh Park
The ducks, turtles and local birds make Selleh a special place to walk, picnic
or turn the playground into a pirate ship overlooking seas of grassy hills.
Local artists Roy Wasson Valle and Koryn Woodward Wasson took
inspiration from the park and their deep ties to Tempe to create a colorful
display of looping stripes and illustrations of Selleh Park critters. The colors
celebrated yellow sunshine, green grass and blue waters.
Stories that Move You at Daley Park
Park goers took a journey around the park searching for QR codes which linked to a series of short dance films about Daley Park created by Methods of Madness Dance Theater and collaborators. These dance films used inspiration from community members who wrote letters to Daley Park and reflect on themes of family, joy, play, memories and nature. All of the artists involved in creating the films lived within one mile of Daley Park. Watch the videos
Hidden Treasures at Selleh Park
Local residents and artists from ASU Theater and Dance Departments celebrated the community by created clues, activities and theatrical video performances that were “hidden” around the park for families and community members to search for in a one-of-a-kind treasure hunt meets performance experience. Park goers were able to scan QR codes, located at different park stations, to view the theatrical performances. Watch the videos
Musical Tour at Hudson Park
Listen to the sounds of Hudson Park by local composer, Adele Ethridge-Woodson. Each area has a unique sound that was selected by the neighborhood. The music includes recordings of community members infused with electronic, hiphop, reggaeton/Latin and classical music. Listen to the music
Hidden Critters at Harelson Park
Harelson park hosted small, 3D printed, hand painted animal toys that were hidden among the pavilion, playground, peace garden and trees. These little critters were just waiting to be adopted! This project was created by Whistling Moon in collaboration with ASU 3D Design, ASU Library Makerspace.
Painting in the Park
In February 2021 we held outdoor painting classes at Daley, Harelson, Hudson, and Selleh Park. The classes were taught by artist Monica Gisel, and participants learned about blending colors and created desert landscapes.
Turtle Pond Fence Art at Selleh Park
Stitchings of turtles inspired by the pond at Selleh Park brought art and color to the park. The art was installed by Kyllan Maney on the fence between the Selleh Park playground and the school. This project was inspired by conversations from the community about the turtles that live in the pond.
Tree Flower at Daley Park
By combining fibers and ceramics, flower garlands, fabric balls and other ornaments, artist Eliza Weber hung and decorated this local celebrated tree. Individual objects were floral, referencing the delicate and playful nature of flowers. Neighborhood yarn bomb squares were be altered and rearranged as decorations for the tree.
Meaningful Moments at Selleh Park
Community members shared photos of meaningful moments, and artist Christine Cassano created an art installation at Selleh park by printing all the meaningful photos and turning them into an interconnected copper web of photo collage.
Energy Stir at Hudson Park
Community members painted the environment with light and sound in the Hudson Park meditation garden during this Arts in the Parks event. As they entered the space they took some time to realize untapped potential as movements created waves of color through the environment in an interactive art installation by Andrew Robinson.
Digital Festivals
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic shifted the regular Arts in the Parks events to become digital festivals. These festivals featured arts activities and artists handpicked by each community.
Scudder Park, April 15, 2020
The festival featured acoustic music by Rae Not Lydia, Light Rail Plays by Rising Youth Theatre, Backyard Dances by Halley Willcox|Methods of Madness Dance Theatre and creating spiral art with Miss Mya!
Selleh Park, April 22, 2020
The festival featured indie-rock music by Jake Greider, singer & improvisational pianist Carly Bates, poetry and storytelling by Rising Youth Theatre and learning how to draw turtles and ducks with Kyllan Maney & Sofia Aguilar. Listen to the piano improv livestream here.
Celaya Park, April 29, 2020
The festival featured Latin Americana music by Jorge and Rebecca De La Torre, painting with AZlotusart, casting colorful pottery with Casey Hanrahan and 6 limbs movement with Hira Ismail from Catalyst Creative. Check out the music livestream here and the pottery tutorial here.
Hudson Park, May 6, 2020
The festival featured music by Walt Richardson and a variety of activities with artists from the Hudson Park community including a guided meditation with Claire Redfield, calming movement with Dienae, a studio visit with Shelley White and Dan Meyer and a virtual gallery of artwork from artists in the Hudson Park community and students from the New School for the Arts & Academics. Check out the gallery here.
Harelson Park, May 13, 2020
The festival featured Americana Folk music by Solh, and activities lead by local theater company, Catalyst Creative, that included playful puppetry, explorative drawing and improv theatre!
Daley Park, May 20, 2020
The festival featured community songwriting with Tatiana Crespo, backyard dances with Halley Willcox, tree stories with Phil Weaver-Stoesz from Catalyst Creative and galaxy painting with Paige Reesor. Watch the digital event here.
Meyer Park, March 3, 2019
This event featured a variety of activities from a wide array of art forms. It included: ASU School of Music community jam, jazz and bluegrass performances (by middle school kids, college attendees and adults), rock-art lead by Meyer Montessori School, a poetry workshop and, finally, a pop-art making with Angela Johnson and Gallery at TCA.
Scudder Park, March 22, 2019
Clark Park, March 24, 2019
This event had it all! Yoga, rock bands, recycled art-making with Shari Keith, bike bell making led by the Tempe Bicycle Action Group, zine-making, garden tours, an interactive temporary Public Art installation by Bobby Zokaites and a community music jam with ASU School of Music.
Svob Park, March 27, 2019
Through a partnership with the ASU Gammage Beyond Series this event featured cultural activities, instrument making, workshops and music with the Son Jarocho Collective, Tempe High Mariachi and a temporary community mural.
Goodwin Park, April 6, 2019
At this event we had live music from artists featured on the Tempe Playlist, a temporary community mural, flower pot decorating and a poetry and art station. This event has also included a 3-month Public Art residency with Ann Morton, who collected stories of kindness from the community to build a temporary installation in the park during the event.
Papago Park, April 14, 2019
A packed day: live salsa and Brazilian music, drumming and dancing workshops, nature photography workshop, zine station, temporary art installation using materials from nature and an interactive Public Art piece created by Erin V. Sotak that moved through the park during the event.
Mitchell Park, Feb 24, 2018
The Mitchell Park Neighborhood Association and the City of Tempe filled Mitchell Park with the Fox and Peacock Music Festival. This event aimed to connect Tempe’s rich local music past with its current and future direction, right in the heart of the neighborhoods that have produced many of the greatest Tempe bands. This created a great opportunity to showcase the neighborhood, Tempe’s strong art culture, and the continuing efforts from the city and many neighbors to continue the arts as an essential part of Tempe. It featured 8 local bands, 5 live artists and 6 other interactive activities.
Estrada Park, November 18, 2017
The Estate La Colina Neighborhood Association and the City of Tempe brought an afternoon of free arts activities to Estrada park. The day included art vendors, fitness and yoga classes, live art demonstrations by Milan Art Institute and musical performance by The Sugar Thieves, Mill Avenue Singers, Chandler Children’s Choir and Café Stringz Trio.