…the second mural…and more…(click on images to enlarge)
the following images are the larger panels hanging by the entrance doors…
a photo of how large the above panels are that are by the doors…
(click photo to enlarge)
…an example of the advertising just below the mural…
I was absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to see and record these images of Paul Coze’s!! They were put up when the building first opened…I think that was in the 1960’s. They are a valuable link to our history. And yet, as I travelled around Phoenix, visiting a museum and the main library where files are kept on notables such as Mr. Coze, I was shocked to learn as I talked to people that they had no idea who Coze was…and what he had contributed to the Valley of the Sun…infact, they often seemed to be unaware of some of his public artworks that remain…many have been destroyed over the years…that is why those that remain are so very valuable!!
…some sad notes…the murals are mounted on the ceiling over the refreshment stands, as I mentioned earlier, causing it to be difficult to see the paintings…I am all for advertising, being an artist, but it is unfortunate that the murals seem overwhelmed and insignificant while competing for the attention of those lining up for a hot dog…they also are not identified in any way as to significance of their inclusion in the architecture, the artist’s name or year of creation…someone needs to tell the story of the artwork which is on display…it is OUR story and it is not being communicated over the generations…
The murals also are in great need of repair and restoration…electrical cords run over the images, as well as rips and wear that have taken place over the years…actually, considering the age of these creations, and the number of people that have passed by and maybe even bumped up against them, they are in fairly good shape!! But they are badly in need of repair, just the same, or they won’t be around for the next generation…
And, of course, the fact that so many of our wonderful public works by Coze have been destroyed over the years…just a few remain. Are we so busy that we don’t have time to remind ourselves and also our children of our roots…our history? We have time to watch TV, dink obsessively on our cell phones and computers almost every moment of the day and catch up on the latest news of our favorite celebrities…but if we don’t invest the time needed to tell our children OUR STORY and introduce them to the artwork that portrays it, then our children…and their children…and their children… will not know their own roots…their own history… and as this world seems to be in a not-so-slow down-spiral, our children need now more than ever the knowledge which will ground them and reinforce where they came from and who they really are. Where is the Storyteller? Look to the public works of Paul Coze…what remains of them. Research the mural in Terminal #2 of the Phoenix Airport…cruise on by the Phoenix bird at Town and Country Mall…visit St. Thomas the Apostle Church on 24th St. and Campbell to see the stations of the cross…take your kids to the Coliseum for an event and tell the story of the murals…you, YOU are the
Storyteller!!! Be the Storyteller for your kids…and their kids…and their kids…pass it down!
a final word…perhaps the first step would be to find another place to display these works…one where the story would be told…one where the mural could be laid out in order, where it would be seen well by all viewers, where the artwork would be protected, yet accessible to us all…
“…the spirit perishes if untended.” …Kandinsky
…tomorrow…photos of the stations of the cross from St. Thomas the Apostle Church on 24th St. and Campbell Rd. in Phoenix…
