Memento

Address

1 E Main St
Mesa, AZ 85201

Get Directions  

Details

Photography on porcelain-enameled steel

Artist Statement:

Until 1930, the city of Mesa was contained within a one-square-mile area, flanked by University Drive on the north, Broadway Road on the south, Mesa Drive on the east and Country Club Drive to the west.

As Mesa's new arts center began to take shape, replacing the buildings that occupied this space for years. I grew curious about the dramatic changes taking place in the neighborhoods around the art center.

With my camera, I began to explore houses and yards that recall an era we will never see again. I found antique stores filled with collections and old photographs of families who lived here before us. In the late afternoons, I talked with fathers and mother's as we stood beside lush plants and mature trees, watching children play and enjoying the fleeting moments of light and shadow.

My photographs, both made in and inspired by the city's original square mile, offer an extended portfolio that recalls Mesa's distinctive sense of place. Together, the images create an intimate intersection of time and place - a memento of what has come before and what is happening now within the original city grid. The pictures bear witness to a shared history and give a human face to this entry point into Mesa's new center for discovering the arts.

My thanks to all who generously participated with me in the making of these images.

Artist	Rebecca Ross
Patron	Commisioned by the City of Mesa Public Art Program