The Town of Marana is seeking artists to enrich our public spaces.
Town of Marana seeks to fill two seats on the new Public Art Review Committee
Marana Town Council selects public art for upcoming Marana Community & Aquatics Center
Man on the Horse statue unveiled to the public
Town of Marana cuts the ribbon on "Spirit of Marana" public art project
Town of Marana Council, staff, Marana Unified School District, Pima Association of Governments, the artist, former instructor, and former students cut the ribbon on the “Spirit of Marana” public art piece.
On June 24, 2022, Town of Marana officials and staff, Marana Unified School District (MUSD), and Pima Association of Governments (PAG) cut the ribbon on a brand-new public art project located in Downtown Marana at the Sandario Road and Marana Main Street Roundabout. Speakers included Marana Town Manager Terry Rozema, PAG Executive Director Farhad Moghimi, MUSD Assistant Superintendent Kristin Reidy, and former Marana High School (MHS) Welding Instructor Kenton Webb. The public art piece was funded by Transportation Art By Youth (TABY) and was constructed by artist Trevor O’tool and former MHS students Joseph Wagner and Gabrial Kilbarger.
“The Spirit of Marana” honors the community’s rodeo heritage while highlighting the skills and accomplishments of local students and artists.
The project was installed by Whelcon Contractors under the supervision of Marana Project Manager Mac Murray and Marana Construction Inspector Gus Lipins.
Watch the full ribbon-cutting ceremony:
Transportation Art By Youth (TABY)
New public art installed along transportation improvements not only beautifies the region’s landscape, it also offers an opportunity for youth artists to showcase their skills and gain valuable work ethic through Pima Association of Governments’ Transportation Art by Youth program. The program, which PAG initiated in 1995 through its Transportation Improvement Program, offers paid summer employment for youth artists. Proposed projects must be submitted by a sponsoring jurisdiction, which manages the approved project and is reimbursed for budgeted project expenses.
Marana Unified School District CTE Programs
Award-winning Career and Technical Education programs prepare students to enter the workforce with the academic and career skills needed to compete successfully in the job market.
Marana district high schools are proud to offer over 115 Career & Technical Education programs which offer a sequence of courses to students in grades 9-12. Through the District's Career and Technical Education programs and a partnership with the Pima County Joint Technical Education District, students are offered instruction in Culinary Arts, Early Childhood Education, Automotive Technology, Engineering, Robotics, Marketing, Sports Medicine, Welding Technology, Biotechnology, Dental Assisting, Software and Game Design, and many more!
GALLERY (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Marana unveils new deer family as the Town's latest public art installation
Click to view the unveiling ceremony of the new public art installation on Tangerine Road.
This Thursday, the Town of Marana formally debuted the “Deer at Tangerine Sky Park” art installation. The small ceremony to unveil the five metal sculptures was the culmination of a two-year project.
The sculptures are made of solid steel and feature a family of foraging deer. They are located on Tangerine Road and are part of the Tangerine Corridor Project and will serve as a centerpiece of the upcoming Tangerine Sky Park.
“This project is absolutely beautiful,” said Marana Mayor Ed Honea. “The design is beautiful; the construction is beautiful. It is something we should all be very proud of."
Town of Marana Assistant to the Town Manager Tony Hunter coordinated the project, which was funded by the Transportation Art by Youth fund through the Pima Association of Governments.
This project began with the brainstorm of "how can we get public art in the community, but also how can we get youth involved as well?’” said Hunter.
The Town enlisted the help of Marana High School welding students, who have previously created other metal art pieces for Marana. Once the students were on board, the idea was to get the community on board to help with the search for an artist.
Hunter worked closely with the Marana Citizens’ Forum, who created a Public Art Committee to help come up with project.
“They were a huge help with the project,” said Hunter, who explained the artist selection process with the sub-committee. The parameters were simple. The work had to be metal to accommodate the students' skill set, and it had to represent the Marana community.
Trevor O’Tool's submitted proposal for the deer design was ultimately selected due to how he connected his work to Marana's natural environment.
“It represented our natural environment, but also represented family and our history,” Hunter said.
“It shows how the Town and artists and young people can work together to make something that our Town can be proud of for many years to come,” Honea added.
Installation of the deer was made possible due to the Town of Marana project management team and the Tangerine Corridor Constructors. It was no easy feat to put the deer in place. Not only did they have to be placed in the alignment the artist envisioned, but the sculptures are not easy to move. The sculptures are steel and weigh several hundred pounds. The buck statue weighs over 750 pounds and had to be placed with a forklift.
They also had to be painted to protect the metal from the elements and the landscaping needed to be completed by the project management team and the contractors.
The Deer at Tangerine Sky Park art installation is located on the Southside of Tangerine Road, East of Camino de Oeste.
Marana High School Welding Students: Austin Bott, John Campbell, Randall Chambliss, Cameron Daily, Mikaila Rodriguez, Brandon Shulls, Scott Washington. Kenton Webb – Instructor.
Marana Citizen’ Forum Public Art Committee: Ron Hill, Angela Wagner-Gabbard, Don Duncan, Valerie Pullara, Michael Smentek.
