Tucsonans have the chance to view the works of two esteemed Southwest sculpture artists now through May 30.
Sculpture Tucson is showcasing pieces by Tucsonan Julia Arriola and Hector Ortega, of Phoenix, at its sculpture park, 3420 E. River Road.
Arriola’s exhibition, “Remember Me: Bringing My Story to Light,” features nine life-sized steel cut-out dresses, emblazoned with bright red paint. The dresses of six women and three children represent the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, a news release said.
Tucson artist Julia Arriola’s exhibition, “Remember Me: Bringing My Story to Light,” features nine life-sized steel cut-out dresses, representing the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
It can be found in the lower center of the Sculpture Park.
Ortega’s “Emanate,” featuring eight abstract steel sculptures, represents Ortega’s sense of thermodynamics, “where a central energy goes out and changes into other things,” the news release said. His abstract yet simplified geometric forms serve as interpretations of gentle arcs, rolling waves, branches, boulders and the moon.
It can be found in the park’s center amphitheater.
Sculpture Tucson promotes large-scale art and places sculpture in public places throughout Tucson and Southern Arizona.
The nonprofit is hosting the free Sculpture Tucson Festival, which Ortega is participating in, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17, at 3420 E. River Road.
There will also be a reception and preview party featuring sculptors on Friday, March 15, from 4 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $100 each. Visit sculpturetucson.org/sculpture-festival for more information.
The festival was first held in 2018 and has since become the largest outdoor juried sculpture show in Arizona, attracting visitors from across the country, the news release said.
Tucson-based artist Barbara Grygutis, a University of Arizona graduate, creates lighted public art for cities and universities around the world. Video by Rick Wiley / Arizona Daily Star 2021
