Art | - Part 4

Sharlot Hall All Gussied Up in Copper

September 8, 2011 By SamLowe 2 Comments

PRESCOTT — Copper has been an important element in Arizona’s history for more than a century, but it usually goes into the creation of such utilitarian items as tubing, electrical wiring and computer parts.

However, it took a different form in 1923, when Sharlot Hall went to Washington, D.C., wearing a copper dress.

Hall, a longtime Arizona activist and historian, was selected to deliver Arizona’s three electoral votes for Calvin Coolidge. Prior to her trip, the Arizona Industrial Congress commissioned an overdress made of copper links, and Hall wore it to the presidential inauguration.

Filed Under: Art, Dose of History Tagged With: copper, history, politics, prescott

Iron Whales and Rusty Nails in Quartzsite

September 2, 2011 By SamLowe Leave a Comment

QUARTZSITE — Gene Hassler doesn’t let things go to waste, especially if they’re things he can use to create a whale or a velocipede. Hassler is a welder and artist who spends some of his time in Quartzsite because he owns Hassler’s RV Park here. The property is adorned with about 50 of his creations, all made of scrap materials.

His rendition of an ostrich has car headlights for eyes and pipe wrenches for legs. Nearby, a huge hand made of bolts reaches out of the ground to grab a vine crafted from reinforcing rods. Elsewhere are palm trees, velocipedes, cowboys with six-shooters, elephant feet and cactus, all rusted because they’re all made of previously used metal.

Filed Under: Art, Odd Observations, Small Town Scene Tagged With: art, quartzsite, sculpture

The Wounded Goddess Atop the State Capitol Dome

February 4, 2011 By SamLowe 1 Comment

Winged Goddess on State Capitol in Phoenix

The white statue that has been a permanent fixture atop the State Capitol dome in Phoenix for more than a century goes by several names.

She is called the Goddess of Victory, Statue of Justice and Winged Victory, but for a time the nickname Bullseye could have also been applied. The zinc goddess was cast in Ohio and purchased by the Territory of Arizona in 1898 for $150. When the Capitol building was formally opened in 1901, the 17-foot sculpture was placed on top of the copper dome to serve not only as a symbol, but also as a weather vane. But it frequently didn’t get the respect it deserved

Filed Under: Art, Dose of History, Valley of the Sun Tagged With: art, cowboys, history, phoenix, politics

Help Us Solve the Marilyn Monroe Mystery in Phoenix

December 27, 2010 By SamLowe 2 Comments

For nearly a decade, an image of actress Marilyn Monroe has been catching the eyes of those who pass the northeast corner of 20th Street and Indian School Road in Phoenix. The mural-sized rendition of the late sex symbol languishes for more than 30 feet on a black background on the west side of a building currently occupied by Truckmasters, and although many are familiar with it, nobody seems to know why it’s there or who put it there.

Filed Under: Art, Odd Observations, Valley of the Sun Tagged With: art, phoenix

Wickenburg’s New Permanent Residents

August 6, 2010 By SamLowe Leave a Comment

Seven new residents have moved (or been moved) into Wickenburg and they’re permanent in the strictest sense of the word. They stand along the main thoroughfares as reminders of the city’s heritage as one of the last vestiges of the Old West. They never move, never blink, never mind posing for tourist cameras. They can’t because they’re bronze sculptures, strategically installed in front of business places and tourist attractions.

Filed Under: Art, Small Town Scene Tagged With: art, small towns, wickenburg