Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Shares ¡Sombra! Experiments in Shade Highlights and Findings

The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture is excited to share the outcomes of ¡Sombra! Experiments in Shade, a citywide initiative featuring nine temporary shade installations created by artists. In partnership with Mayor Kate Gallego, the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, Parks and Recreation, and the Office of Innovation, the project explored creative ways to address extreme heat in Phoenix.

“Phoenix is making our neighborhoods cooler and more comfortable in a way that is collaborative, creative, and empowering of local artists, designers, and residents," Mayor Kate Gallego said. "The shade structures created through ¡Sombra! test new materials, significantly reduce temperatures, and showcase the beautiful cultures and stories of our neighborhoods."

Funded by a $1 million Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge grant, ¡Sombra! transformed parks across the city from April to October 2025. The nine installations erected in nine parks combined artistic expression with practical cooling strategies, engaging over 65 local organizations and businesses. 

Cooling and Material Innovation

Cooling effects were measured by ASU’s MaRTY, a portable weather station, and the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation. A few of the nine temporary shade installations lowered surface temperatures across all of the installations by as much as 46 degrees Fahrenheit, and mean radiant temperatures were reduced by 30–40 degrees, offering immediate relief. At Cielito Park, when solar-powered misters were turned on, ambient air temperature was reduced by an additional 10 degrees, thanks to a creative design by artists Jose Benavides and Joe Ray.

Artists also utilized innovative anchoring systems—ground screws and diamond piers—allowing safe, temporary installations without permanent foundations. These methods may be used in future City projects.

Experiments with UV-resistant fabrics showed mixed results. While Sunnyslope Park’s polyester-spandex fabric provided strong cooling, it struggled with durability. Cielito Park’s acrylic fiber fabric proved most resilient.

Business and Community Engagement

Local company EnKoat partnered on the Roesley Park installation, using heat-mitigating coatings to reduce heat absorption. Following artists’ requests for more color options, EnKoat is now expanding its product line.

“Being part of the project was truly rewarding,” said Dr. Aashay Arora, co-founder of EnKoat.

Community involvement was central. Highlights included:

●     Alhambra High School MEChA students painted alebrijes featured in Rincón de Color.

●     Feng Feng Yeh’s Chinese Chorizo installation revived a lost culinary tradition and featured food and dance collaborations.

●     Kira Dominguez Hultgren’s Nana’s Garden engaged residents in workshops using bioplastics and ceramics.

To view list of all ¡Sombra! Community Collaborators, click HERE.

Looking Ahead

The project supports the City’s Shade Phoenix initiative, which aims to install 550 new shade structures by 2030. As Heat Response and Mitigation Director David Hondula noted, “The structures were temporary, but the lessons will be permanent.”

“The generous grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge enabled the City of Phoenix to truly experiment and discover new ways to address the serious issue of extreme heat in a creative and collaborative manner,” said Carrie Brown, Interim Arts and Culture Director. “We are now looking at implementing ¡Sombra! as an ongoing effort for permanent, artist-designed shade structures in support of the City’s heat mitigation efforts.”

View images of the ¡Sombra! Experiments in Shade Project HERE