​​​​​​​Southern Avenue Streetscape

​Patrick Park Plaza​​​


ARTIST:   Jody Pinto
DATE:   1992
LOCATION: 3007 E Old Southern Rd.
TYPE:   Park
MATERIALS:   Colored concrete, copper, river rock, low-water plant material​
BUDGET:   $205,000​
DISTRICT:   8
ZIP CODE:   ​85040​


The artist, Jody Pinto, participated on the design team for the widening of Southern Avenue.  In response to community input, the  artist focused on a small park on land once occupied by a bar.  According to Pinto, the design concept for the plaza reflects a symbolic joining of community and the street through the use of the double spiral form.  One of the most ancient symbols for life, growth, and eternity, the double spiral appears throughout Native American cultures, including the Hohokam.  Community members stressed the importance of water in the history of South Phoenix, and Pinto felt that by connecting the spiral motif to the canals, the plaza could acknowledge and celebrate that history, from the valley's first canal builders to the present day.