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Located on the
north and south side of McDonald Drive between 86th Street and Pima Road, (approximately ¼ mile)
Joe Tyler (Sun
City West, Arizona)
Lizard Acres is
a dual purpose detention basin and linear park with art features.
Welded steel, which
is highly durable in the desert heat. The steel is meant to obtain a “rust
look” but will resist corrosion.
2001
Produced by the Scottsdale Public Art Program and administered through
the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art on behalf of the City of Scottsdale.
At Lizard Acres, a special family of larger-than-life critters brings
a little bit of fantasy to everyday desert living. Oversized tortoises
happily munch away on prickly pear cacti, and a whimsical horned toad
suns on an enormous boulder.
The public artwork Lizard Acres was commissioned with the benefit of the
community in mind and a goal of contributing a valuable sense of identity
and pride. It has been created as a long-lasting addition of original
public art exclusive to this Scottsdale neighborhood and will serve as
a community asset for years to come.
Arizona artist Joe Tyler painstakingly custom-designed and crafted several
endearing critters from durable steel and rebar over the course of two
years. Tyler worked in association with the engineering firm of BRW, responsible
for the landscape’s design.
What is Lizard Acres?
- It’s a place where a special family of larger-than-life desert
critters brings a little bit of fantasy to the day!
What kind of “art
elements” should I be looking for?
- giant tortoises 300-350 lbs each
- a twin-tree archway with 20 small lizards all over it
- giant lizards with 20-foot long tails
- snake pattern in sidewalk
- horned toads on boulders
- 6-12 foot saguaro cacti and prickly pear cacti
- a 40-foot long snake crawling over a seat wall
What material are the
desert critters made from?
- Welded steel, which is highly durable in the desert heat. The steel
is meant to obtain a “rust-look” but will resist corrosion.
Is there an entrance and an
exit to this linear park?
- Actually, both the east and west ends are inviting entrances that
tell can tell a short story about the reptiles no matter which direction
you approach from.
Does Mr. Tyler always make reptile
sculptures?
- No, Lizard Acres is a recent departure from his earlier works in
public art. Among his other public art projects are: transit shelters
that look like windswept trees, saguaro cacti with moons and stars (Shea
Boulevard east of 90th Street).
After the artist was chosen from a competition, what has been the process
of approval of the art concepts?
• On April 10 1999 Mr. Tyler public art staff and city staff met
with residents at Agua Linda Park. At this meeting, citizens discussed
the art concept and materials. They previewed prototypes for the tortoise,
horned toad, smaller lizards and the entryway arch.
• As a result of the positive feedback from the open house, the
artist selection panel recommended minor revisions of the preliminary
designs to the artist and to the Public Art and Collections Committee
(PACC, the governing body for Public Art)
• The concept was approved by PACC and construction was completed
in January 2001. PACC accessioned the art into the City’s fine art
collection in March 2001
An Arizona native, Joe Tyler earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree
in horticulture and a Master’s degree in environmental horticulture
at Arizona State University in 1972 and 1974. Botany, mythology, and the
beauty of the Sonoran Desert inform and inspire the artist’s work.
Working mostly in welded steel, Tyler also uses fiber optic lighting,
copper, masonry, and paint enamel. His works can be found not only around
the Valley in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Tempe, Chandler, Glendale, Tucson,
Surprise and Yuma, but also as far as Germany and Japan.
Lizard Acres received the 2001 Valley Forward Art Award for Art in Public
Places, but awards are nothing new for this artist. Tyler recently received
an “Orchid Oward” from The Business Journal for his design
of two bus shelters on Shea Boulevard between 90th street and 136th street.
The shelters, also a part of the Scottsdale Public Art collection, “Sonoran
Monsoons” and “Desert Moods,” were honored for being
among the best architectural designs throughout the Valley.
Joe Tyler believes there’s a lot in a name. As the McDonald Drive
streetscape improvement project developed and construction began, the
artist christened his work with a title that referenced a favorite childhood
haunt. Lizard Acres was originally the name of the largest cattle feed
lot in Arizona, a vast playground for the young would-be artist. Youth
was also the time when Mr. Tyler’s love for horticulture began.
Botanical drawings were his first art projects, and these later became
the basis for sculptural experimentation. With a designation secured and
a passion ignited, the space was able to develop, housing surreal, out
of proportion reptiles and delicate steel plant life that are woven into
the desert landscape.
A trained horticulturist, Joe Tyler describes his arrival onto the public
art scene as an unplanned blessing. “Things in your life happen
that make you believe in miracles,” he declares humbly. Tyler trained
himself to weld while building himself a house from an old 1920’s
cotton gin torn down and slated to be waste. With raw steel at his disposal,
Tyler discovered that the material can be manipulated not only for structural
purposes, but can also become art in the process.
Tyler’s work in his own home and garden was spotted and he was given
a one man gallery show in 1989. From there, he was offered a large commission
in Japan. He had to make a choice whether to turn the offer down or leave
his job as the director of the arboretum at Arizona State University and
take the risky leap into the art world. He took the risk and the plane
ticket to Japan. He has been busy ever since his return.
“Being a public artist is not for the faint of heart,” Tyler
asserts. “It is physically demanding and you face a lot of disappointment.
Hearing ‘no’ can be a way of life.” But, he also claims,
when you finally see your art become a piece of the visual fabric of the
area, there is nothing more rewarding.
The series of road improvements that widened this stretch of McDonald
Drive required the incorporation of a mechanism for drainage storage into
the landscape. Lizard Acres is thus equipped with a detention basin, a
landscape feature engineered to capture and detain excess storm water,
with a pipe directing drainage to appropriate water sources. Retention
basins are also often used for drainage, but instead of managing the water’s
movement, these features allow the water to passively seep into the ground
at a natural rate of absorption.
These practical considerations, however, were incorporated with subtlety
and creative confidence by the design team. Tyler’s sculptural elements,
whether they be giant saguaro or perched horned toads, invite the attention
of passersby, both pedestrian and vehicle. According to Annette Grove,
the project’s manager, Lizard Acres draws the community into the
park. Boulders provide seating and critters are placed throughout the
vegetation, inviting games of counting and discovery. In this way, the
space encourages walking, biking, and outdoor recreation.
Public art such as Lizard Acres is always a collaborative effort. This
project came about from a marriage of public input, city staff, engineers,
the Scottsdale Public Art program, the artist himself, and continues to
be nurtured and maintained today. Dialogue and cooperation between all
of these actors are essential to the creation of a truly community-oriented
destination, a place that fulfills petitions for both the functional and
the whimsical.
LIZARD ACRES , A NEW "POINT OF PRIDE" IN SCOTTSDALE
NEIGHBORHOOD
Scottsdale, Ariz., Dec. 13, 2000 - Scottsdale residents in the vicinity
of McDonald Dr. and 86th St. will receive a special holiday "gift" beginning the week of Dec.18: Lizard Acres , a place where a family of
larger-than-life critters brings a bit of fantasy to everyday desert living.
The project, part of the Scottsdale Public Art Program, is being installed
along the south side of McDonald Dr. between 86th St. and Pima Rd.
At Lizard Acres , oversized tortoises happily munch away on prickly pear
cacti, while a whimsical horned toad lives on top of an enormous boulder
and reptilian critters crawl over a seat wall. Each of these and other
endearing creatures have been painstakingly hand crafted from durable
steel and rebar by popular Arizona artist Joe Tyler, working in association
with BRW, the engineering firm responsible for the project's landscape
design.
Tyler, along with several contractors, will begin installing large scale
sculptures at the park during the week of Dec. 18. The project includes
a total of 16 art elements and some of them will be constructed on site,
such as welding leaves onto a huge double-tree archway and creating a
mammoth 20-foot long snake to repose on a Lizard Acres wall.
Lizard Acres is the result of a street widening project which called for
a strip of land to be converted into a water "detention" basin
to collect and direct water during times of rain. The City of Scottsdale
chose to create a "point of pride" opportunity for the neighborhood
by incorporating art into the design of this functional piece of land.
It is anticipated that the project will contribute to the identity of
the area, instill a sense of pride in those who live nearby, and create
a one-of-a-kind experience for pedestrians. 
Tyler recently received an "Orchid Oward," from The Business
Journal for his design of two bus shelters on Shea Boulevard between 90th
street and 136th St. The shelters, also a Scottsdale Public Art Project,
Sonoran Monsoons and Desert Moods , were honored for being among the best
architectural designs throughout the Valley.
Produced by the Scottsdale Public Art Program, administered through the
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art on behalf of the City of Scottsdale,
Lizard Acres has taken two years to complete.
Scottsdale's Public Art Program is administered by the Scottsdale Cultural
Council, a private, non-profit organization responsible for managing the
city's cultural affairs.
For more
Information visit our website at:
http://www.scottsdalepublicart.org
or contact Scottsdale Public Art
at 480-874-4645
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