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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | JUNE 23, 2019
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Skysong hotel artwork promotes enchantment BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer
C
ave Creek artist Mark Carroll’s many sculptures seemingly stretch from coast to coast — from the 13-feettall horse monuments at both entrances of Cave Creek to an 11-sculpture garden at Weinberg Campus in Getzville, New York. And as of June 12, Carroll has one more art installation to add to his growing list of commissioned work: the 8-foot-tall, stainless steel “Balanced, Journey” that sits prominently at the garden entrance of the new Element Hotel Scottsdale at SkySong. Element Hotel Scottsdale at SkySong is a 157-room property slated for completion in late June and located within the masterplanned SkySong development, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center. It was “designed to fuel a balanced life while on the road,” according to Michele Wheeler, development partner of the Element Hotel Scottsdale at SkySong, and president and chief operating of�icer for Jackson-Shaw, the hotel developer. Carroll’s recently unveiled art installation will echo the Element Hotel Scottsdale at SkySong’s mission. “We are striving to create a unique sense of place at the Element Hotel Scottsdale
Artist Mark Carroll displays his 8-foot stainless steel sculpture, approriately titled "Balanced Journey" since it will greet guests at the new Element Hotel Scottsdale at Skysong. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer)
at SkySong, and the ‘Balanced, Journey’ artwork being installed on the site is an important part of that vision,” Wheeler said. “Mark’s incredible sculpture aligns our vision, engaging the senses that will hopefully inspire and enchant visitors.” With “Balanced, Journey,” which was forged in 304 stainless steel, Carroll aimed for a design that was “open and airy, with balanced movement and a joyful uplifting feeling,” he described in a press release. Carroll said viewers are encouraged to bring their own interpretations to the sculpture. “It might be seen as �igurative, like a dancer, or maybe a cloud-�illed sunset, or maybe a star in the cosmos,” he told the Progress. Carroll has been a local professional sculptor and in business as The Sculpture Studio since 1985. He started designing and creating the drawing for “Balanced, Journey” one year ago and started the fabrication of the stainless steel sculpture three months ago. The parts were cut with a water jet and
Carroll started work on "Balanced Journey" a year ago by designing it and later spending three months creating it. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff)
were then assembled and TIG-welded together. “Since a drawing is only 2D, I made a small maquette in urethane foam so I could work out the forms in 3D. The maquette helps me, as well as the client, to visualize what the �inal sculpture will look like,” Carroll said. Carroll’s forthcoming projects this year include two 5-foot-tall �igures of saints St. Mary Magdalene and St. Phoebe made of basswood for a Catholic Church in Austin, Texas. He is also working on an 11-foot-tall stainless steel sculpture for a private residence in Las Vegas. “Another project is a 7-foot-tall limestone and steel sculpture for a hotel in Pleasanton, California,” he added. The ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center will house the iconic shade structure and several public art exhibits, including new public art to be installed upon the completion of the new SkySong 5 building, as part of an extensive overall art program at SkySong. The SkySong 5 building, which is already achieving 73 percent occupancy, is currently under construction and expected to open this summer. A grand opening will be held in the fall.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the SkySong 5’s success and are already looking forward to pre-leasing on SkySong 6,” said Sharon Harper, president and CEO of Plaza Companies, the master developer of the project, in a press release. She added: “These two dynamic buildings really illustrate the vision of innovation and technology that makes SkySong so attractive to companies.” SkySong 6 is the next building to be constructed at SkySong. SkySong 6 will be approximately 340,000 square feet and will feature �loor-to-ceiling glass windows facing out to the intersection of Scottsdale and McDowell Roads, as well as a new parking structure to serve both buildings, a large public space located on the corner, with a second-story balcony overlooking the area, and 55,000-square-foot �loor plates — the largest �loor plates built along Scottsdale Road in the past 20 years. SkySong will exceed 1 million square feet when SkySong 6 is completed. In the meantime, Carroll’s large art installation is available for viewing at 1345 N. Scottsdale Road.