The Paseo de Luces revitalization project opened in 2014. Photo from the City of Tolleson

The 2014 revitalization project of Downtown Tolleson into Paseo de Luces has spawned into an entertainment destination that people want to experience. Paseo de Luces (Path of Lights) is more than a downtown; with its family-style seating, it has become a gathering place for all people.

Visiting Paseo De Luces offers the opportunity to enjoy an amazing art collection designed and fabricated by West Valley Fine Arts Council’s Gallery 37. This collection consists of seven sculptures that comprise the Paseo de Arte (Path of Art), which embodies the city’s past, present and future.

The West Valley Arts Council recognized the City of Tolleson as its Champion of the Arts. Photo from City of Tolleson

Paseo De Luces offers family-style seating, making it a gathering place for all people. Photo from City of Tolleson

In 2015, the West Valley Arts Council recognized the City of Tolleson as its Champion of the Arts for including this art collection as a staple in the new downtown design, as a symbol of the community’s commitment to the arts. In addition to this remarkable artwork, Paseo de Luces has a Central Plaza with a water feature, free Wi-Fi and a sound system that plays music all year long.

Crowds gather to celebrate the holidays in the new Paseo de Luces. Photo from City of Tolleson

By Eric Faulhaber, Visual Arts Coordinator, City of Chandler

Eye-catching artwork has decorated Downtown Chandler for the last few months, turning empty buildings into public art for all to enjoy.  The city of Chandler and the Chandler Arts Commission joined seven other valley cities and participating in IN FLUX Cycle 3, a public art initiative.  IN FLUX is an innovative multi-city initiative demonstrating a holistic approach to temporary public art projects through a showcase of installations by local artists.

The three Arizona artists chosen by the Chandler Arts Commission for the temporary installations were; Ann Morton, textile artist, Craig Randich, sculptor and Denise Yaghmourian, mixed media artist.

This project was designed to invigorate vacant spaces, and they’ve certainly created interest and activity in three vacant spaces downtown.  With the economic recovery, Chandler doesn’t have as many vacant spaces, but with the success of the current project, the city is still planning to participate in the IN FLUX Cycle 4, to be installed in December.   Artists will call on their natural creativity to display their work in open spaces or even public property.

These dynamic projects offer new perspective on the connections between community organizations, local businesses, artists, and audiences, and the next round of artistic installations, will do just that.

The call to artists will be released on August 23. For more details or information about the series of installations, visit www.influxaz.com, or call the Chandler Arts Commission Visual Arts staff at 480-782-2696.