​Arizona artist Mary Lucking created artworks that provide shade, comfort, and a sense of place at the Desert Sky Transit Facility located at 79th Avenue and Thomas Road. Working closely with the team of Kimley Horne, ART Architecture and Haydon Building Corporation, Lucking designed features that help make the new facility a landmark for the City.

Lucking designed a fence that greets visitors as they enter the facility from the Desert Sky Mall. Reminiscent of Paper Picado flags, the metal cut outs of the fence create shadows connecting the parking areas to the bus platform. Once inside the transit facility, sunburst patterns in the upper fascia add a modern twist to, historical patterns found in baskets, pottery, and weavings. Outside the main facility along Thomas Road, bus riders are surrounded by the same pattering of shadows cast by the custom perforation in the shelter. The art works allow passengers to take a moment to visually drift through the patterns as though looking up at the clouds.

This public art project was built with percent-for-art funds from the Phoenix Transit Capital Improvement Program.