This 30 foot tall, welded steel weeping willow tree consists of arching branches and more than 6,000 individually cut leaves. Artist Joe Tyler created the piece specifically for the fire station and a gathering place for the community.
Joe Tyler currently lives and works in Arizona. He also designed the renovated Alhambra High School Courtyard located at 43rd Avenue and Camelback. It consists of steel prickly pear cactus plants.
He has designed additional metal sculptures for Scottsdale Fashion Park, as well as the cities of Tempe, Chandler, Glendale, Scottsdale, Mesa, Phoenix, Surprise, and Yuma, AZ.
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Podcast
Fifth and sixth graders from Alhambra School District recently visited Fire Station #30. See the podcast that describes their visit to this public art work located within the district boundaries.
Learning Activities
- Navigating to Fire Station # 30 using a GPS receiver
- View this public art from a distance
- Describe what you see
- What medium is used for this artwork?
- How does it look from a distance of 50 feet? 20 feet? 10 feet?
- View this public art close-up
- View five different individual leaves of this welded steel weeping willow tree from as close as you can get to this art work.
- Describe each leaf. How long is each leaf? How wide? What color? What texture?
- Which leaf is most interesting to you? Why?
- What else do you see in this tree?
- If you have a camera, take pictures of your favorite leaves and other interesting parts of this sculpture.
- Artist's Purpose
- What do you think is the artist's purpose in creating this piece of public art?
- Does your idea agree with your classmates' ideas?
- Is it OK that you and your classmates agree or disagree?
- What materials did the artist use?
- What tools and techniques do you suppose the artist used?
- Why did the city of Phoenix commission this art work and pay the artist to design and create it?
- Think about these questions?
- What is public art?
- Why is this public art outside a fire station?
- Public art is designed to contribute a valuable sense of identity and pride for residents. Do you feel this art work creates a sense of identity and pride? Why or why not?
- The artist wanted this public art to serve as a community meeting place. Would you enjoy meeting friends near this work? Why or why not?
- Where else could this public art be meaningfully placed? Why
- Should your parents' taxes be used to pay for public art? Why or why not?
Resources
About the Artist, Joe Tyler:
- Joe Tyler lives in Surprise, AZ
- He has been commissioned by numerous cities in AZ to create public art.
- He has created many bus shelters for Tempe, AZ.
- Tyler’s works can be seen all over Arizona as well as in Germany, Japan, California, New Mexico, Texas and Nevada.
- Joe Tyler received his bachelor’s degree in Horticulture from Arizona State University.
- He earned his Master’s of Environmental Horticulture at ASU in 1974.
- Tyler has received many awards and has held several professional positions in the field of horticulture. He has created public art for the cities of Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler, Tucson and Yuma and art for major business corporations.
- Artist statement: It seemed quite natural for me to have plants as my major sculptural subjects because of my extensive knowledge in botany and environmental horticulture . I enjoy taking rough cold steel and bending, twisting, pounding and heating it into a soft, sensual, sculpted organic form. I hope to convey the message that the destiny of humans is inseparably linked to the destiny of plants.
Other Work by the Artists:
Evaluation
- Consider the relationship between humans and plants.
- Collect objects that represent this relationship to you personally.
- Photograph these items and display them for your classmates.
- Accompany your photographic display with a short essay that explains your view of the relationship between humans and plants.
- Post your photograph and essay to the GEOPA Wiki.
Reflection
- What did you learn about public art from this experience?
- How does public art add to people's enjoyment of the environment?
- What aspect of this public art made the greatest impression on you? Why?
- How does this Public Art help you develop a sense of your community? Help you identify with your community?
- Post your reflections to the GEOPA Public Art Wiki.
Student Responses
The GEOPA Wiki is a place for students to discuss their experiences geocaching for public art. Please go to our GEOPA Wiki to share your thoughts, impressions, sketches, or photographs with others.
After visiting Fire Station #30, please post pictures you took at Joe Tyler's sculpture AND your impressions and reflections about the sculpture. Please also post the essay you wrote on your view of the relationship between humans and plants. Click here to see a sample wiki.
Standards from the Arizona Department of Education
This lesson is linked to the following standards:
- Visual Arts
Strand 2: Relate
Concept 4: Meanings or Purposes
Concept # 4: Meanings or Purposes: The student will interpret meanings or purposes of artwork based on contextual information.
- Visual Arts
Strand 3: Evaluate
Concept 2: Materials, Tools, and Techniques
Concept # 2: Materials, Tools, and Techniques:The student will reflect on, and determine how materials, tools, and techniques affect meanings, purposes, and value in artworks.
- Visual Arts
Strand 3: Evaluate
Concept 4: Meanings or Purposes
Concept # 4: Meanings or Purposes: The student will judge an artist’s success in communicating meaning or purpose in their artwork.
- Technology
Standard 5: Technology Research Tools
Students utilize technology-based research tools to locate and collect information
pertinent to the task, as well as evaluate and analyze information from a variety of
sources.
- Technology
Standard 6: Technology as a Tool for Problem Solving and Decision-making
Students use technology to make and support decisions in the process of solving real-
world problems.
- Language Arts Reading
Strand 3: Comprehending Informational Text
Students identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the purpose, structures, and elements of expository text.
- Language Arts: Listening and Speaking
Students effectively listen and speak in situations that serve different purposes and involve a variety of audiences.
- LS-E1. Effectively convey the message through verbal and nonverbal communications with a specific audience
- LS-E3. Interpret and respond to questions
- Language Arts: Viewing and Presenting
Students use a variety of visual media and resources to gather, evaluate and synthesize information and to communicate with others.
- VP-E1. Analyze visual media for language, subject matter and visual techniques used
to influence opinions, decision making and cultural perceptions
- VP-E2. Plan, develop and produce a visual presentation, using a variety of media such
as videos, films, newspapers, magazines and computer images
- VP-E3. Compare, contrast and establish criteria to evaluate visual media for purpose
and effectiveness
- Social Studies: Geography
Concept 1: The World in Spatial Terms
The spatial perspective and associated geographic tools are used to organize and interpret information about people, places and
environments.
- PO-1:Use different kinds of maps to solve problems
- PO-7: Locate physical features in AZ using maps and other location devices
- Social Studies: Geography
Concept 4: Human systems and culture, their nature, and their distribution affects societies and the Earth.
- PO-4: Describe cultural characteristics of Arizona's diverse populations
- PO-6: Describe elements of culture in areas studied
- Workplace Skills Standards
- Standard 1: Students use principles of effective oral, written and listening communication skills to make decisions and solve problems.
- Standard 2: Students apply computation skills and data analysis techniques to make decisions and solve problems.
- Standard 3: Students apply critical and creative thinking skills to make decisions and solve problems.
- Standard 4: Students work individually and collaboratively within team settings to accomplish objectives.
- Standard 7: Students demonstrate technological literacy for productivity in the workplace.
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