Daniela Diamonte and her son didnβt know what to think when they were riding their bikes on the UA campus last Wednesday afternoon.
In front of Modern Languages off the expansive UA Mall, were eight big-enough-for-two swings, set up in red metal frames shaped like homes.
βWhen we saw these last night when we were riding our bikes, we decided we needed to come back here and have lunch and swing,β Diamonte said as she and her 12-year-old son, who had half day of school, read books while students walked past at the height of lunch-hour on Thursday, Oct. 28.
The swings are part of Arizona Arts Liveβs monthlong exhibit βMi Casa, Your Casa 2.0,β created by designers Hector Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena. The idea behind it is to illustrate home; the series of three-dimensional red frames look like small houses.
Arizona Arts Live Executive Director Chad Herzog the idea to bring βMi Casaβ to Tucson came after a conversation he had with the UA Provost about how to welcome students back to campus after they had spent more than year online due to COVID-19. The idea behind the swings is to invite students and anyone passing by to relive a bit of their childhood.
The idea struck a nerve on campus.
βRarely can you go by these and not see people lined up to swing in them,β Herzog said, then recalled an anecdote from a student who said she saw a line at the swings when she went into the library one night; several hours later when she left, there was still a line.
βItβs been really fun,β Herzog said.
This is Arizona Arts Liveβs second year after the UA rebranded its longtime arts presenter UA Presents last September and redefined its mission.
In addition to bringing national and international artists to its stages including Kronos Quartet at Centennial Hall on Nov. 11 and composer/bandleader Arthur Vint to Club Congress on Nov. 23, Arizona Arts Live hosts performance art events including βMonumentsβ last fall, which earned it raves from people strolling the on-campus exhibit of photographs of prominent local residents projected onto trees.
Also planned in the coming months: Let the Crows Comeβ dance trio event Jan. 13, 2022, at Stevie Eller Dance Theatre; jazzman Jon Batiste on Jan. 21 as part of the Tucson Jazz Festival; and Dorrance Dance at Centennial Hall April 2.
For tickets and more information, visit arizonaartslive.com
