A new public art addition to the Coronado Neighborhood offers both safety for drivers and the neighborhood at large.

The Coronado Neighborhood Streetscape includes a fence designed by local artist Joan Waters that runs the length of Virginia Street between North High School and the Coronado Neighborhood. The fence, which is both durable and low maintenance, elegantly creates a sense of movement with an undulating top. The design includes imagery from the neighborhood, which speaks to the historic nature of the Coronado area. The fence project was funded through Street Transportation Percent for Art Funds and managed by the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Public Art Program.

Waters, who was chosen for the project through a competitive selection process, is known for her whimsical drawings and metal work. Working with Street Transportation, she chose to focus on Coronado neighborhood’s architectural features and the area’s natural features, trees and cacti. The 880-foot-long fence was fabricated locally.

The streetscape offers a safe passage between Dayton and 12th streets, along Virginia. The inclusion of public art is funded through the city’s public art ordinance, which allocates up to one percent of the Capital Improvement Project budget for public art in capital projects. To date, the Public Art Program has completed more than 110 permanent public art projects in the city of Phoenix.

For more information about Phoenix’s Public Art Program, visit phoenix.gov/arts or call 602-262-4637 or TTY 602-534-5500.

The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, which manages Phoenix Public Art, was established by the Phoenix City Council in 1985 to advance the growth and development of the city’s arts and cultural community.

To learn more about the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, visit phoenix.gov/arts.