Dunbar/Spring Circle Signs

2003
Tucson, AZ
32 unique street signs in three neighborhood traffic circles

5th & 9th Circle Designs

One set of 5 signs is placed facing each street in this circle. On the bottom is a large Dunbar/Spring neighborhood sign, based on the facade of the Dunbar School, and above it is a cluster of four signs, of various colors and shapes.

The signs have four types of references:

Historic housing styles in the neighborhood, including a rowhouse, bungalow, and a Victorian.

Details from four churches in the neighborhood.

Details from public buildings: Dunbar School, Jim's Market, the Red Barn Theater, and the Sahara Motel sign.

Non-building details from around the neighborhood: the railroad sign, a mesquite tree, Court Street Cemetery, and a modified street sign.

All Souls' Procession Circle Designs

There are five designs for this circle: four unique designs, and one that is repeated four times, placed in between the unique designs. I drew from two sources of inspiration for this circle. I am basing the look of the signs on traditional Dia de los Muertos paper cutout banners. They have decorative borders printed on the signs, carry a grid pattern for the background, and feature skeletons participating in various activities. Since Tucson's All Souls' Procession is organized primarily by people in the Dunbar Spring neighborhood, the signs reference a number of different groups that participate in the parade, including Flam Chen, Tucson Puppet Works, and Bicas.

1st & 9th Circle Designs

Four sets of two signs appear in this circle, each bearing a detail of a publicly-accessible artwork created by a current creative organization in the neighborhood. The signs are large: each is approximately four feet wide.