I sit as Design Chair on the Buckeye Main Street Coalition in Buckeye, Arizona. Our group is made up of local business leaders in the Buckeye community.
Our focus is revitalization of historic downtown Buckeye. When I say revitalization I mean projects like designing Wayfinding Signage, paving a park with bricks and adding benches or brainstorming about the pinch point along mainstreet to hang a street banner. When we are not working on architectural or landscape improvements we are working on community events that will help attract more visitors to Main Street. A few weeks ago the BMSC had the opportunity to host the AVTT or American Veterans Traveling Tribute in our Buckeye. It is a 5 day event open to the public for 24 hours that honors an 80% replica of the black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC that Maya Lin designed.
The site plan on the left is the original layout of the wall configuration at the Edgar Park along Beloat/Irwin and Miller Road about 15 minutes south of Interstate 10. In the planning phases of this event I started laying out the basic pieces of what was going to arrive on trucks to be set up. This event proved that drawing up a site plan for planning any event is critical to success. It reminds me of one of my favorite movies Home Alone when Kevin who gets left behind by his family is planning his final attack against the Wet Bandits. You know the drill, Kevin lays out the plan in crayon with the broken ornaments for the bandits to step on, a huge nail sitting upright in black goo on a step in the basement for them to step on, hot iron and door knob. Before I settled into the delicious macaroni and cheese dinner or the AVTT coming to Buckeye I had to get everything on a sheet of paper and pass it to the team.
As you can see from comparing plans, things changed. I had the layout set based on AVTT standard horse shoe configuration they had sent 6 months prior. I worked the tents, stage, trees and chairs around their wall configuration. On the day of set up, that all changed. When you are planning like this you have to ask questions of your team. Are you going to have a booth at the event? How close are the motorcycle riders going to ride up to the wall? Where is the power. How much power will we need? How does one sit and honor, respect and remember? Do veterans want to sit on a bench together or in their own chair with some distance?
Thanks to Dave at Jack Rabbit Nursery who let us borrow his 15 gallon trees for the the event! The mass of volunteers from Keller Williams were wonderful on Thursday May 9th our set up day. We only had a window of about 4 hours to get everything set up. Since the plan had changed in an instant, I was scrambling to re-configure the tree layout. It all worked out great. We measured with soft tape measures about 30 feet from the black wall and arranged the trees with the new layout. The loose chairs were set in between the trees so visitors could have some space and be alone if they wanted.
Even though the marine green tents donated by the Prison did smell I liked the look of them. When I sat under it I felt like I was kind of roughing it under the hot sun in some army camp out. Most of the veterans who visited with me liked the look and feel of the tents too. Desert Oasis in Goodyear donated a POW MIA, Gold Star, and Blue Star floral wreaths. The wreaths really added elegance and color. We set them next to the trees and put heavy sand bags around the tree bases and easels since the wind was so strong during the four days. The loose carnations were from Crazy Daisies in Buckeye and given out on the last day of the event, Mothers Day.
I think the line by line agenda with times for each of the set up times, daily activity sheets and of course the site plan made this event really cohesive. Even though there were changes in the layout we were able to roll with them quickly and adapt. The Town of Buckeye was a huge part of the success as well with the use of the stage, sound system and water. They were there at a moments notice for whatever we needed. If a tent was not throwing enough shade for the locator computer station to look up a fallen soldier for a visitor, the next day there was a new tent with side flaps to replace it. If we ran out of water bottles for the bus loads of school kids a bobcat tractor would pull up with bags of ice and cases of water bottles. Thank you to all who participated.
At the end of the event on Sunday I did feel like gliding along a rope hanging onto a bicycle handle bar and screaming, “Whee!” into my tree house! The veterans who I met and the experience of working together with my team is a great memory that will stay with me for a long time. I send special thanks to Buckeye Main Street Coalition, VFW, American Legion, Doris Goetz, Town of Buckeye, Buckeye Fire Department, AVTT, Jack Rabbit Nursery, Desert Oasis, Crazy Daisies, Daughters of American Revolution and Mike Malcom for playing the bagpipes and wearing a wool kilt for hours on end for five days.
My initial interaction with the City of Phoenix Center for the Arts project was in 2004 at the initial pre-proposal when the late Patty Tax, a City of Phoenix contracts administrator, was explaining the project and she emphasized that this was a very special project.
The final building addition Serbin Studio were architect of record on came to a conclusion in the Spring of 2012.
Joseph Benesh’s vintage VW bus.
I wanted to interview Joseph Benesh,the director and Marta Stout, program manager of the Center of the Arts whom I had the pleasure of working with during the Construction Administration last year. Joseph is one of those characters that brought laughter and creativity to our weekly meetings. We would be in our weekly meetings with Brycon Construction contractors and program managers from the City of Phoenix and Joseph would challenge us with questions like “What if we did it this way?”
Just for clarity sake you might want to keep in mind that JB: Joseph Benesh, MS: Marta Stout and LS: is yours truly, Lara Serbin.
LS: What’s unique about the Center for the Arts for Down Town Phoenix?
MS: A non profit organization working with a municipality like City of Phoenix. We were able to take over something that was City run. We can brag a little bit here. It is a formula that you wouldn’t think would work but it does for us. The City owns and maintains the buildings, they are helping us in that sense. We are bringing non-profit arts.
Joseph really injects a lot of spontaneity. Since I started in August of 2011, I noticed that Joseph had a very clear vision of what he wanted to do. I like how we stay flexible while we are growing. We can try new things. I call it growing gracefully. We are going through growing pains yet we are 37 years old. That is due to the recent switch in management. We are a little big organization with more wiggle room. We have to be agile.
JB: I don’t filter people coming to our Center until we give them a chance. It doesn’t always work out but when it does, great expansion comes from different points of view. There may be a pottery student that has the best idea about a new upcoming venue. You never know where inspiration is going to come from. The diversity of organizations currently like Radio Phoenix.Org, Dulce Dance Company and Roosevelt Row CDC.
LS:How do you see you unique in terms of your programming?
MS: It is extremely varied. What I see normally is a center that is limited to dance or arts. We have variety based on information with face to face interaction with the community. We ask questions like: What do you want? We are so close to Roosevelt Row where there are tons of active artists. People who act, paint, sing and write. We do those things here but I think it is a nice reflection of what the actual community is doing. We have the theater that we’re trying to activate even further. People are looking for places to perform that they can walk to and catch the light rail.
One of the things we started is called Family Fridays, which offers open studios. We want people to know they are welcome to bring a sketch pad, have a seat and take part in the class.
Photo credit: Lara Serbin. 3rd Street Entry Monument
LS:So you are encouraging some of the parents to sit in on classes?
MS: Absolutely. If people want to come in during the day and there is a class they want to see, let’s go! Let’s walk you in and see the instructor interacting with artists. We have the same students who have taken ceramics class together for 6 to 8 years. It is a mini family. We love to have new people see how much fun we have. You get sucked in.
LS:That is the wonderful thing about the arts, it makes your mind more pliable by changing your focus. Do something different like bang on a set of drums.
MS: Yeah, there is no pressure. It’s not like you have to come in knowing how to fill in the blank. Come in, try it, even if you think you are horrible at it. Your going to make the happiest mistake of your life by trying to paint a tree. I think of it as a child like experimentation. Kids aren’t afraid to try something. We give that chance to adults. Kind of loosens you up a little bit.
LS:How have you seen this transformation impact the community around you?
MS: From my position at the front desk, I have been the interface. People are recognizing this is a space that is active, dynamic and for them. It’s not just a set of historic buildings sitting unoccupied. People walk in and say “Oh, wow there is a new entrance!” We have some who literally stroll in off the park and say “What is this place, I never knew there were doors here?”
Arizona Free Arts Mural, painted by 180-200 volunteer artists in 2012.
MS: Well it is new! I explain when and why the addition happened. There is a visibility to it now. People feel welcome especially after the addition of North Entrance and Arizona Free Arts came on Make a Difference Day and painted the mural. They had so much fun doing it. It is nice to see a city taking ownership of what is here. It’s not a matter of “”Let’s just knock everything down to the ground and start over.” We have a gem of an opportunity sitting right here. It started with Joseph Benesh , City of Phoenix, Brycon Construction and Serbin Studio working together. I came in just before the construction took off.
Arizona Free Arts Mural, painted by 180-200 volunteer artists in 2012.
LS: What makes you particularly proud of the Center for the Arts?
MS: It’s user friendly. My background is theater and one of the things you end up studying is how you can make this approachable. The fine arts is elitist. We are not. Center for the Arts is accessible and affordable.
It is huge that we are now ADA compliant. Being able to take a student into a gallery who before the addition couldn’t access the second floor. Now everyone can flow easily to the metal studio, photography studio or theater. We are part of the new downtown Phoenix revitalization. I have always been a process type rather than a product minded person. It is a really neat process to be involved in. It has changed so much since I first got here!
Now it’s like, “Why are all these cars here?” and I will say, “That’s because we have classes, or a performance going on.” It is a nice problem to have when students are complaining about parking on a Saturday night!
LS:What is the next chapter in the Center for the Arts story?
MS: A solid core of programming where people know us for ceramics, metals and painting programs. Expand what programming we offer based on community feed back. I have been meeting with desert weavers and spinners guild. They are interested in a fibers program. Fiber artists want to come in, rent a loom and knock out some projects. In just a year we’ve grown from 2 staff members to 5. We have already met 30% of our projections for Spring classes. We grew over 93% from last year in terms of people enrolling and staying. Now we can nail down how we handle developing a program and what we put in here based on the feedback we are getting. Nowhere but up!
JB: In the past I never liked to take credit for my accomplishments, it was always the success of a team. The success we are experiencing now I can see as a result of all my past theater experience of asking questions. When I was programming shows for theater seasons I would have to book the shows way out in advance, always forward thinking.
This post is dedicated to the late Patty Tax, City of Phoenix, Contracts Administrator.
Building approaches are like the beginning of a good novel. There are a few ways to design an effective approach. One of my favorite design references is Architecture: Form Space & Order by Francis D.K. Ching. Approach starts with a pathway to a building. The pathway is the first phase of how we take in the building and prepare for how to use the building’s spaces. There are three approaches to a building: Frontal, Oblique and Spiral.
1. Frontal Building Approach
The Building Approach, Architecture: Form Space & Order, Francis D.K. Ching, pg. 249.
The New York Public Library, photo credits, Jan Shepherd.
A frontal approach leads directly to a building’s entrance along a straight, axial path.– Architecture: Form Space and Order, Francis D.K. Ching.
This approach is formal I know. I like this double loaded entry within an entry. The front porch is designed to make you feel small and overpowered. The 3 arched openings in the wall plane *or 3 doors* are surrounded on all sides by the surface of stone. You see how the doors themselves are made to be supersized with pediments and glass above to stretch the eye always upward.
I have never been in this building but it seems like it symbolizes library books on a pedestal. The symmetry of the approach leaves one at a loss to want to turn the corner and explore the outer edges. The visual goal that terminates the approach is clear; once you see those dark 3 openings you know what you are getting into here. You will see what I mean when you see the part on spiral building approach.
2. Oblique Building Approach
The Building Approach, Architecture: Form Space & Order, Francis D.K. Ching, pg. 249.
Palazzo Mocenigo, at San Stae, Venice, Italy, Venetian Palaces, Rizzoli, pg.425.
Map of Venice, Italy, Venetian Palaces, Rizzoli, pg.524.
An oblique approach enhances the effect of perspective on a building’s front façade and form. – Architecture: Form Space and Order, Francis D.K. Ching.
I looked for a Palazzo that was on the extreme approach of course, why wouldn’t I. Palazzo Mocenigo would be a ridiculously cool building approach. I would have to float down the Canal Grande on a gondola and then take a hard left to a more narrow canal to reach the oblique entry. Naturally, I would stop to shop on the way. The path is re-directed one or more times to delay and prolong the sequence of the approach. This heightens the sense of approach and curiosity of how the façade will stack against the majestic architectural gems seen on the way.
If a building is approached at an extreme angle like this one, its entrance can project beyond its façade to be more clearly visible. The façade that overlooks the rio is made more interesting and lively by its irregularities. Like anyone would go out on those marble balconies! This building could fit into spiral approach too.
3. Spiral Building Approach
The Building Approach, Architecture: Form Space & Order, Francis D.K. Ching, pg. 249.
Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, Le Corbusier Ideas and Forms, William J R Curtis, Rizzoli New York, pg. 147.
A spiral path prolongs the sequence of the approach, and emphasizes the three-dimensional form of a building as it moves around the building’s perimeter.– Architecture: Form Space and Order, Francis D.K. Ching.
Last time I was at Ronchamp there was no such thing as internet or cell phones. I am so excited there are videos I can watch from my Aeron chair. This building cannot be understood by looking at a digital photo with the spiral building approach in mind. This building is soft on the eye and easy to walk around. There are so many symbols in the forms that it is good to have one thing in mind each time you study it. This time I focused on entries. I like how the entries are a subtractive slice of grey concrete through the white sculpted chapel volumes. Even though the doors don’t want to be too high, the dark grey color is carried all the way up above the door to keep the eye upward.
With a building like Corbusier’s Ronchamp, the entrance might be viewed intermittently during the approach to clarify its position. You know where it is but you might want to wander around a bit to take some photos of those massive concrete scuppers that look like ox nostrols. Also with a spiral approach the entry may be hidden until the point of arrival.
It was a bright and windy morning. This was the day of my second Arizona off road excursion with the Buckeye Rock and Mineral Club. We were headed west of Buckeye about an hour and a half to a turn off the I-10 freeway called Hovatter Road. After driving along the dirt road about 15 minutes, I spotted the building perched up on a hill. This was the gateway to Harquahala Ghost Mining Town. The Native American name is pronounced “Aha qua hala”, which meant “water there is high up.” The intent was to look for turquoise rocks but I naturally headed to the top of the peak to get to know the commanding metal building.
Walking up the gravel slope I checked for turquoise and found to my delight rusted treasures of a bygone era. This place was settled for the sole purpose of mining gold in what was called The Bonanza and Gold Eagle veins discovered in 1888. This location is so remote that there are lots of reminders still intact like vintage desert glass. I picked up beach glass in Washington when visiting my Mom and thought how cool it was to find a piece of glass that is from the turn of the century that nature has had its way with. The edges are soft and the glass is opaque with an opalescent dirty cast. I found tons of it.
I also liked these thin old tin containers with a hinged top that were mostly smashed flat and dark rusted brown. I asked Chuck one of the most knowledgeable members of our group what he thought the containers were for and he said, “They didn’t have cigarettes back then so they probably kept their tobacco in those containers to keep it fresh.” If you ever have a question about a rock you ask Chuck. He will pick up a rock and look it over with his weathered hands. I like watching his super sized knuckles the size and look of walnut shells. He will slowly move a rock around to inspecting it and know what it is called. He always finds sparkly craggy rocks . He really knows where to look. He once got bitten by a scorpion and secretly enjoyed it due to not having arthritis for 3 months.
But I didn’t want to look for rocks. This rusted beautiful building was my Bonanza. The views from each direction were spectacular. The dirt from under the darting out foundation had eroded away so I had a worm’s eye view for a couple shots. There was a faint turquoise hue on a burnt window frame that looked onto a solid concrete box room. I crept inside the doorway and found tons of deteriorated canvas bags semi buried in white sand with pale yellow tags that read Shell Mining Company.
It must have been a really rough place to live. The surrounding desert was littered with shot gun shells from every vintage. That door opening above is where I found all the empty Mineral Sample bags. I love that most of the major structure was still intact. For a small building, it has a lot going for it. The concrete box with the water tank on top gives the building an anchor. There is a center ridge vent that continues the whole length of the building probably used to cool the space. The ridge roof even cantilevers out over the entry which I thought was pretty cutting edge for back then.
This was a close up of the roof that had fallen. Simple construction leaves behind poetic images for decades after the people who built them are gone.
An abobe structure sat in the distance with some walls missing. It was quiet there today; the only thing I could hear was the wind blowing nonstop through this doorway. The wood lintel was chard from a fire but still holding up the adobe made with small twigs, soft peach mud, hay and rocks. Outside the entry lay a sun ravaged pile of wood mixed with rusted pieces of metal full of pocks and lacy edges.
I did end up looking for turquoise and more vintage glass. I feel like I don’t have to leave my home state to find beach glass. I have desert glass that is just as beautiful. Arizona erosion is the constant sun, intense baking heat and subtle movement of shifting sand.
I have been thinking of an ideal work studio space for millions of years. I will never be done with defining the idea, it will constantly be changing and expanding. For now, I found the best images to transfer and overlay on my light table. When I trace something it becomes real for me. I get to know it well. That’s why I have been quiet. I have been sketching what I really want.
My work space desires have not strayed much from when I was about 12 years old. The first work space I can remember was a storage closet under the basement stairs. It had a single bulb with a pull chain to light dusty wood planks on the left. All I can remember is heavy books of my Dads with flowers inside that had been in there for months being pressed. My signature is still visible on the right side of the door.
This first work space is a studio situated on the tippy top of some jungle with bright green trees. I would like the adventure of climbing up to the top. It would be a bummer if my pen dropped over the edge and it would be tough to haul the light table up there. The views and sounds would be delicious.
This is a tracing of Philippe Starck, a French product designer. His designs range from interior designs to mass-produced consumer goods such as toothbrushes, chairs, and even houses. I like this idea, number 1: he is a super successful guy and number 2: he works outside naked. I am pretty sure this space is at his Formentera House built in 1995, found in my book titled, Starck, published by Taschen.
The example of Ted DeGrazia’s studio and museum in Tucson, Arizona has subtle creative hints of the artist everywhere. I wouldn’t want to live in the adobe buildings on site but on a macro level I like the artistic details like ocotillo branches and saguaro ribs used as fence pickets and wind chimes. DeGrazia cut up and painted aluminum cans to make flowers. The flowers really get to me. Most everything is pretty raw and tough, the permanent perennials soften heavy post and beam entry ways. Studio space could be an expression of an artist constantly experimenting with ideas. I know most artist’s spaces are always filled with mismatched accumulation.
Sara Werthan Buttenwieser of Crafted Lives said it best in American Craft Magazine that ,“…my (studio) resemble artists’ houses, which also display respect and admiration for each other’s work via similarly stocked shelves.
Then there is the image of a modern farm house that appeals to me. A rural setting with wide open plains but at thick wall of trees to protect the house. It would be respectful of the historic simple farm house but have a modern forward stance with an amplified porch. The symmetry would be proud and provide shade all year long. Inside the work space could be filled with light to bounce off wood floors. The walls would be simple white to showcase minimal art pieces. It could be about waking up to inspiration on a daily basis.
While putting the finishing touches on the sketches you see here, I discovered how to define the profile around the building in a different way. After I had finished hand rendering the blue in the sky with Non-Photo-Blue Prisma pencil, I scanned it. Once I brought the image into Photoshop I matched the blue with Eye Dropper Tool and then used pencil in a number 5 to profile the roofline. I love how it came out. I added bright white with a transparency to the columns and pediment to make it POP.
.jpg "South Entry Facade")
.jpg)
