It took nearly a year from the first concept drawing to the final grouting, but a 30-foot-wide tile mural now overlooks the future community garden in Surprise's Lizard Run Park.
Hundreds of small ceramic tile pieces and glass fragments form a river flowing through a wash full of desert flowers and creatures -- a curled-up rattlesnake here, a howling coyote there, a pair of vultures and up to 20 lizards hidden throughout the mosaic.
"This is a 'Where's Waldo,The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free,' " said Kendra Amburgey, finance manager for the non-profit Benevilla, a social service agency adjacent to the park, southwest of Greasewood Street and Bell Road. "Can you find the lizard?"
Children are encouraged to run their hands over the tiles as they search for lizards; the artists discarded any sharp-edged tiles. But the art also is meant to cheer adults and seniors.
The intergenerational aspect of the mural's creation -- children to people in their ninth decade worked on the tiles -- is the latest achievement of Surprise's 3-year-old initiative called Communities for All Ages.
Based on a national model, the program seeks to integrate generations in the city, giving them equal stakes in public art, entertainment, social programs and civic spaces. Surprise has a large retirement community and a growing base of families. Communities for All Ages cites estimates showing that by 2030, the United States will have as many children as older adults, with each sector making up about 22 percent of the population.
The All Ages group, which is directed by Benevilla but which eventually will have stand-alone initiatives, first surveyed the needs and wishes of Surprise residents at a town hall meeting in 2009.A mold or molds is a hollowed-out block that is filled with a liquid like plastic,
"We took the concepts from community meetings with different community members," said Amburgey, who chairs the arts and culture program for Communities for All Ages. "A very wide range of ages was involved."
The mural project took all hands, young and old, to accomplish, said Connie Whitlock, president of WHAM, the What's Happening Art Movement in the West Valley.
Whitlock came up with the basic design concept in February and sent 15 WHAM artists to Thompson Ranch Elementary School the next month to help schoolchildren create tiles. The supervising artists made templates of the mural elements, which the children cut out of stoneware clay. These were painted and glazed and fired twice.
By summer, other agencies became involved: Rio Salado College's Lifelong Learning Center held classes where residents of all ages learned how to make tiles for what became known as the Intergenerational Community Mural Project. Whitlock estimated that about 100 people, from children to 90-year-olds, contributed tile work.
Once the tiles were done, the WHAM artists painstakingly figured out which piece fit where on 10 large panels. Each tile or glass fragment was applied to the panel with thinset mortar.
"It took us months to glue all the tiles down," Whitlock said. "You had to decide which color went with which color. There was no master plan.The magic cube is an ultra-portable,"
Volunteers from Luke Air Force Base used mallets and drills to force screws into the cinder block wall that overlooks the future community garden. High school students showed up for the laborious grouting work.
The mural has blue glass representing the sky, matte tiles donated by tile companies for the desert floor, the community-created creatures, plants, and the high-gloss river running through it.
"It brings tears to my eyes," said Vicki White, a team leader with Communities For All Ages.Handmade oil paintings for sale at museum quality, "We had children involved and parents and grandparents. That's what it's all about, families joining together."
multigenerational projects
The Intergenerational Community Mural project was just one of four initiatives launched by Communities for All Ages. The non-profit Benevilla has a multigenerational day-care center at its main campus at 16752 N. Greasewood St. and adult day-care locations and other adult services around the Northwest Valley.
Connectivity project. Rio Salado worked with the city to build a bridge from Benevilla to Lizard Run and plans to hold free gardening classes for participants in the community garden.
Farmers market. The market has eight to 10 vendors who sell produce from 4 to 7 p.m. on the last Friday of each month on the Benevilla campus, 16752 N. Greasewood St.
Arts and culture. The mural is part of this initiative, but residents also will find entertainment at venues such as Birt's Bistro & Bookstore on the Benevilla campus.I have just spent two weeks shopping for tile and have discovered China Porcelain tile.
Community garden. The garden in Lizard Run Park will have 29 plots, each 8 feet by 10 feet. Some plots will be reserved for food banks, schools and other civic groups. Gardening should start in late February. The plots will include a small leasing fee.
Hundreds of small ceramic tile pieces and glass fragments form a river flowing through a wash full of desert flowers and creatures -- a curled-up rattlesnake here, a howling coyote there, a pair of vultures and up to 20 lizards hidden throughout the mosaic.
"This is a 'Where's Waldo,The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free,' " said Kendra Amburgey, finance manager for the non-profit Benevilla, a social service agency adjacent to the park, southwest of Greasewood Street and Bell Road. "Can you find the lizard?"
Children are encouraged to run their hands over the tiles as they search for lizards; the artists discarded any sharp-edged tiles. But the art also is meant to cheer adults and seniors.
The intergenerational aspect of the mural's creation -- children to people in their ninth decade worked on the tiles -- is the latest achievement of Surprise's 3-year-old initiative called Communities for All Ages.
Based on a national model, the program seeks to integrate generations in the city, giving them equal stakes in public art, entertainment, social programs and civic spaces. Surprise has a large retirement community and a growing base of families. Communities for All Ages cites estimates showing that by 2030, the United States will have as many children as older adults, with each sector making up about 22 percent of the population.
The All Ages group, which is directed by Benevilla but which eventually will have stand-alone initiatives, first surveyed the needs and wishes of Surprise residents at a town hall meeting in 2009.A mold or molds is a hollowed-out block that is filled with a liquid like plastic,
"We took the concepts from community meetings with different community members," said Amburgey, who chairs the arts and culture program for Communities for All Ages. "A very wide range of ages was involved."
The mural project took all hands, young and old, to accomplish, said Connie Whitlock, president of WHAM, the What's Happening Art Movement in the West Valley.
Whitlock came up with the basic design concept in February and sent 15 WHAM artists to Thompson Ranch Elementary School the next month to help schoolchildren create tiles. The supervising artists made templates of the mural elements, which the children cut out of stoneware clay. These were painted and glazed and fired twice.
By summer, other agencies became involved: Rio Salado College's Lifelong Learning Center held classes where residents of all ages learned how to make tiles for what became known as the Intergenerational Community Mural Project. Whitlock estimated that about 100 people, from children to 90-year-olds, contributed tile work.
Once the tiles were done, the WHAM artists painstakingly figured out which piece fit where on 10 large panels. Each tile or glass fragment was applied to the panel with thinset mortar.
"It took us months to glue all the tiles down," Whitlock said. "You had to decide which color went with which color. There was no master plan.The magic cube is an ultra-portable,"
Volunteers from Luke Air Force Base used mallets and drills to force screws into the cinder block wall that overlooks the future community garden. High school students showed up for the laborious grouting work.
The mural has blue glass representing the sky, matte tiles donated by tile companies for the desert floor, the community-created creatures, plants, and the high-gloss river running through it.
"It brings tears to my eyes," said Vicki White, a team leader with Communities For All Ages.Handmade oil paintings for sale at museum quality, "We had children involved and parents and grandparents. That's what it's all about, families joining together."
multigenerational projects
The Intergenerational Community Mural project was just one of four initiatives launched by Communities for All Ages. The non-profit Benevilla has a multigenerational day-care center at its main campus at 16752 N. Greasewood St. and adult day-care locations and other adult services around the Northwest Valley.
Connectivity project. Rio Salado worked with the city to build a bridge from Benevilla to Lizard Run and plans to hold free gardening classes for participants in the community garden.
Farmers market. The market has eight to 10 vendors who sell produce from 4 to 7 p.m. on the last Friday of each month on the Benevilla campus, 16752 N. Greasewood St.
Arts and culture. The mural is part of this initiative, but residents also will find entertainment at venues such as Birt's Bistro & Bookstore on the Benevilla campus.I have just spent two weeks shopping for tile and have discovered China Porcelain tile.
Community garden. The garden in Lizard Run Park will have 29 plots, each 8 feet by 10 feet. Some plots will be reserved for food banks, schools and other civic groups. Gardening should start in late February. The plots will include a small leasing fee.
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