Crosscut Canal Studio MA & Laurie Lundquist		Print This Page Email This Page

Update

•  Artwork to be completed September 2008

•  Construction began in March 2007

• Preliminary concept approved by Scottsdale Public Art Board September 2005

•  Second public meeting held in March 2005

•  First public meeting held in January 2005

•  Laurie Lundquist and Studio MA selected December 2004

•  Approved by Scottsdale Public Art Board as a new project in September 2004

Project Descrption

The Crosscut Canal area contains over a mile of multi-use path located in Scottsdale between Thomas and McDowell roads. The canal bank trail is part of the eleven mile Papago Loop trail system that connects numerous neighborhoods and businesses in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe.

Laurie Lundquist and Studio MA were selected to participate as part of the design team seeking to implement improvements to the Crosscut Canal.

The artist team had already worked together as the design group called Portals and Loops. In 1992, Portals and Loops won a national competition to create a forward-thinking design for the Papago Loop Trail, which encompasses the Old Crosscut Canal, Arizona Canal, and the new Crosscut Canal into Papago Park.

The design team took into consideration the extensive variety of uses the Crosscut Canal path serves, the surrounding natural habitat, and the neighboring community’s interests.

Functional aspects of the canal area that were addressed included the following: wider path areas, lighting to improve safety and aesthetics, shade screens with seating areas, and enhanced landscape treatments.

The art elements integrated into the Crosscut Canal are:

1. Retaining wall, tunnel and path areas at the McDowell Road underpass and wash area. To learn more about this artwork, titled Swimming Dream, click here.
2. Shade structure at Oak Street access area
3. Neighborhood identity plaque at Oak Street (installation to be completed September, 2008)
4. Prisoner of War Tunnel Marker at Sheridan Street—25 German prisoners of war tunneled out of Camp Papago Park in 1943. This marker denotes the approximate location of the tunnel’s end.
5. Tri-City Boundary Marker at the intersecting borders of Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale on the canal path

6. Neighborhood identity marker at Thomas Road (installation to be completed September, 2008)

Project Coordinator

Kirstin Van Cleef 

kirstinv@sccarts.org

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