HISTORIC SCOTTSDALE NEIGHBORHOOD TO CURATE ECO-FRIENDLY MURAL
TO WELCOME BACK SCOTTSDALE’S SEASONAL TOURISTS
Scottsdale, Ariz. (July 30, 2020) -- The Reduce Reuse Recycle mural, #R3Mural, makes a return to the Valley. The painting, made from upcycled paint, billboard vinyl and wood, plays into this year’s theme of adaptive reuse. Located within the town’s proposed historic Garden Apartment District, a few steps south of Hotel Valley Ho. The neighborhood has recently been recognized as a cultural asset, responsible for ushering in and welcoming back Scottsdale’s first seasonal tourists.
Created with the help of local kids groups, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and made entirely from repurposed materials, #R3Mural is the 2nd billboard-sized painting of its kind to come from a local collective of contributing artists and educators. Art director Thomas Blee-Carlyle said of the collaborative work, “In my 30 years as a professional artist, this project was one of the most fulfilling, because it combined three of my passions: interactive public art making, historic preservation and the use of repurposed materials.”
This year’s theme spotlights “Adaptive Reuse,” adapting to and reusing a building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed. Each time #R3Mural is produced with the philosophy of Reduce Reuse Recycle it helps to educate and remind everyone about the exciting possibility for change when we embrace innovation.
Garden apartments were the most popular type of multi-family structure built during the halcyon days of the American west. Noted for their post and beam design, vibrant themes, and use of outdoor spaces, over 150 garden apartments, each between 18 and 36 units, were built in Scottsdale between 1954 and 1968. The proposed historic Garden Apartment District is made up of the 18 remaining garden apartments, built as motor inns following the opening of the Hotel Valley Ho motor resort in 1956.
Adaptive reuse became the inspiration for this year's mural after the city rezoned an underutilized apartment to a restaurant. “From there we began to map out what type of business each building originally opened as, and what type of business they are today,” says mural founder Ben Brosseau. His team of district ambassadors discovered lots had changed.
#R3Mural will hang on the east facing wall of Park Paradise condominiums at 6936 E 4th St, Scottsdale, AZ 85251. A live virtual reveal will air on the Scottsdale Garden Apartment District website, sgadaz.com, Friday, August 14 at 12:00pm MST. A YouTube channel with the edited version of the reveal will run after that, filled with commentary and short talks about adaptive reuse and how it relates to historic preservation.
For more information contact Ben Brosseau at ben@auxpr.com or call (310) 429-6971.
