5C_PUBLIC ART IN TEMPE_UPDATED.PDF

City of Tempe — Tempe City Council and Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) Council Joint Meeting (2026-02-03)

View PDF Meeting page

Extracted text (via pymupdf) 3284 characters
Tempe Arts and Culture
Tempe Public Art
February 3, 2026

Tempe Arts + Culture
2
Connecting with Indigenous culture-bearers and artists as a core value 
Supporting performing arts, visual arts, history and heritage and economic opportunities
Tempe Arts + Culture
OXDX Native Holiday Market 
Performances
Award-winning Exhibitions
Indigena: Indigenous Celebration
One Way Sky

Tempe Arts + Culture
3
Commissioned by the Downtown Tempe Authority with funding made possible by Tempe Public Art
Artists: Thomas “Breeze” Marcus, Dwayne Manuel, and the Hekiu Indigenous Artist Continuum
•
Establishes and illustrates the cultural and historical significance of the O’odham and Huhugam culture
•
Intent is to solidify the O’odham presence in this land since the beginning of time
•
Imagery includes elements that lead to present day to serve as a reminder of the history and present culture here in Tempe 
Tempe Timeline Mural

Tempe Arts + Culture
4
Transit Shelters 
-
Transit Shelter designs include artist designed 
panels within the Tempe shelter design
-
2 artists (Joshua Yazzie and Jacob Butler) 
have been commissioned to create the 
artworks
-
Up to 10 of each transit shelter design may be 
implemented by the City of Tempe as part of 
the new transit shelter roll out
-
The first 4 artist designed shelters will be 
installed this spring along Mill Avenue as part 
of the Mill Avenue Downtown Refresh project
Preliminary design concept rendering by Joshua Yazzie

Tempe Arts + Culture
5
Transit Shelters 
Joshua Yazzie 
•
Member of the Gila River Indian Community from the Vah-Ki District
•
Basket weaver who utilizes Hekiu O’otham materials like Goodding’s 
Willow, Southern Cattail, and Devil’s Claw
•
Elements of his contemporary basketry designs are woven into bus 
shelter panels
This work features Huhugam pottery designs such as “birds in flight” 
with a water variation that ends with various small dots on top. It is 
inspired by walks along the canals, observing the red-winged birds and 
cotton fields.
Transit Shelter panel design by Joshua Yazzie, currently in fabrication

Tempe Arts + Culture
6
Transit Shelters 
Jacob Butler 
•
Member of the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, Butler  
is Onk Akimel O’Odham
•
Works in various mediums, including pottery, shell etching, jewelry 
making, painting and public art
•
Is a mentor and teacher with programs such as the Smithsonian 
National Museum of American Indian Artists Leadership 
Program and many other galleries and museums around the world
The images in his transit shelter design represent his 
culture’s relationship with the plants indigenous to the area, 
notably Martynia and Devil’s Claw. Devil’s Claw is prized for creating 
the black images in O'odham baskets and, was a food source as well 
as medicine for the O’odham people.
Transit Shelter panel design by Jacob Butler, currently in fabrication

Tempe Arts + Culture
7
Tempe Public Art Portable Works 
•
The collection was expanded in 2024 with an active outreach to local 
Indigenous artists 
•
New Acquisitions include works by Thomas “Breeze” Marcus (Akimel / 
Tohono O’odham) and Benjamin Timpson (Pueblo)
Works on paper by artist Thomas “Breeze” Marcus
Photo collage by artist Ben Timpson

Tempe Arts + Culture
8
Questions or Comments?