SIMON DONOVAN & BEN OLMSTEAD PUBLIC ART
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Lines Interrupted
Tucson, Arizona
2005
Aluminum, glass marbles, LEDs
12’ x 2’ x3” panels
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Pennington Street Garage, 36 separate aluminum framed panels of perforated aluminum with thousands of glass marbles wedged between sheets. Creating “stained glass windows for each floor inside the garage and “art deco style” elements for the garage façade taking advantage of the open spaces of each level. Lighted from behind at night.

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Poetry & Camouflage
Tucson, Arizona
2010
Granite boulders, paint
Varied sizes

Mountain Avenue, 1.1 mile road improvement project. 70 granite boulders set along the roadway, 44 of which were engraved with poetry by Tohono O’odham writer Ofelia Zepeda. 55 electrical boxes up to 7’x7’x4’ painted with a varying site-specific palette,
digital “camouflage” patterns to mitigate their presence along the roadway.


El Pueblo Center Shelter
Tucson, Arizona
2005
Aluminum, glass marbles, concrete
10’ x 17’ x 11’

The shelter is comprised of (40) 2’x2’ separate aluminum framed panels with hundreds of glass marbles wedged between sheets of perforated aluminum, creating a rolling “indestructible” stained glass ceiling.


Saguaro Luminarias
Oro Valley, Arizona
2008
Painted steel, LED’s, solar panels
Each 12’ x 12” x varied

Five accordion-folded, laser star-cut steel, stylized saguaro cacti sculptures, lighted from within at night. During the daytime the star-cut openings evoke thorns. Oro Valley Marketplace.


Flying Books
Tucson, Arizona
1997
Steel, aliphatic epoxy paint
Each 36" x 24" x 3"

Woods Memorial Library, 101 "Flying books”, plasma-cut steel and painted (trompe l'oeil), surrounding the exterior of the entire building.


Cacti Tanks
Oro Valley, Arizona
2008
Aliphatic epoxy paint on steel
Each 22’ x 40’ x 40’

Oro Valley, AZ Water Dept. Two Large Water Tanks painted as cactus.

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Hohokam Artifacts
Tucson, Arizona
2000
Concrete, steel
Varied sizes

Hohokam Head, Ball, Deer Head, New Community Resource Center, Large- large-scale replica (9’ x 4’ x 5’) of a Hohokam figurine fragment. Replica (7’ diameter) of Hohokam basalt ball-court ball 20 misting jets surround the base. Large-scale replica (5’ x 5’ x 4’)
of Hohokam animal figure fragment, all are integral colored concrete and steel. Design of plaza floor and four monumental sculptures inspired by Hohokam artifacts found at project site. Creation of an Arizona State Museum satellite display of the actual artifacts
in the community-building lobby. Project included working with the Tohono O’Odham Cultural Preservation Committee.
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