Four Letter Words An interactive Art Streetscape designed for Marshall Way
Proposed by John Randall Nelson
Four Letter Words uncovers the rich history of Marshall Way while actively encouraging participation in the retail commerce of the area.
Four Letter Words is a series of wordbased artworks inspired by Robert Indiana’s iconic Love sculpture. The alphabet and 26 corresponding “four letter” words combine to create a guided narrative. Viewers are directed, by way of sign and symbol, from the entrance of Marshall Way up to 5th Avenue.
ARTS Steel and LED Lights 60” x 96” x 30”
Beginning with the letter A and ending with the letter Z, Four Letter Words creates an interactive art experience that encourages people to explore. By engaging in a hunt for 26 alphabetical word sculptures, art lovers uncover the rich history of the street and are actively encouraged to engage in the retail commerce of the area. From A to Z (and in between) viewers are guided on a meandering journey that educates, entertains, and engages visitors on an all out hunt - for beauty and treasure.
A is for “Arts”
ARTS
Using the infrastructure of the existing Marshall Way signage, Arts literally points the way up the street.
Steel and LED Lights 60” x 96” x 30”
ZONA Steel 5” x 40” x 24”
Z is for “Zona” Our alphabetic journey begins in front of Eddie’s House and ends with a Z at Tru Salon. In between we run helter skelter, up and down Marshall Way and spill out onto 5th Avenue and across Indian School towards Main.
MORE Steel 5” x 40” x 24”
M is for “More”
our Letter Words is more than just conceptual art … it’s also designed to be an economic engine.
GOOD Steel 30” x 13” x 5”
G is for “Good” A “QR Code” (Quick Response Code) at each artwork both defines the artwork and connects the viewer to related happenings and local events.
J is for “Junk” Scanning the QR Code for Junk takes the viewer to a web page that defines “Junk Art”. As well, the code could provide a map with directions to Method Art to see Alexi Devilliers’ Robot sculptures exhibited at the gallery. “Using the empty cans from the meals he's cooked, Alexi creates artworks. The pieces are not only art, they are a recycling of love, generosity and charity. Proceeds for his artwork support Just-A-Center on 10th Avenue and Jefferson which aids in the feeding of people 55 and over.”
JUNK Steel 4” x 12”
E is for “Eeek” An alphabetic “treasure hunt” of sorts, Four Letter Words is an art event that is highly recommended by concierges, grade school teachers and Arcadia parents alike.
EEEK Steel 5” x 24” x 28”
HOLA Steel 40” x 24” x 5”
H is for “Hola” Celebrate the rich artistic culture that is such a vital and enduring legacy of Marshall Way. Scanning the QR code for Hola, takes you on a trip down Memory Lane to the legendary Joanne Rapp Gallery. “Joanne Rapp has always been something of a "low talker" ... the art Rapp promoted in near whispers for 26 years at her Marshall Way gallery, the Hand and the Spirit (H&S) are sleek products from some of the more notable craftspeople working today … making the H&S one of the five or six best American galleries of craft. This is the true magic of art. It turns shopkeepers into missionaries and mystics. The crafts have been less of a product for her than a cause and a well-worn path to enlightenment.” Edward Lebow, Thursday, Aug 20 1998 Phoenix New Times.
KISS Steel 32” x 15” x 4”
K is for “Kiss” Bob Park’s Bronze Horse Fountain (at 5th Avenue) is the most photographed artwork on Marshall Way.
WHAT (UP) Steel and LED Lights 200” x 96” x 8”
W is for “What Up” Just as the small hidden elements of Four Letter Words creates interest on an intimate human scale, the wonderful height of this sculpture creates impact on a monumental level.
WHAT (UP) Steel with LED Lights 200” x 96” x 8”
What Up has both a daytime and a nighttime presence, providing a focal point for the street and acting as a beacon to draw people to the area.
WHAT (UP) Steel and LED Lights 240” x 30” x 8”
The intersection at Marshall Way and 3rd Street is an important focal point. Halfway between Indian School and 5th Avenue, it is visible from both streets. Starting with Ed Mell’s Jackknife sculpture (at Marshall Way and Main Street) and heading North to Michael Maglich’s Horseshoe Falls (at Marshall Way and Indian School Road), this location provides a natural segue to Bob Park’s Bronze Horse Fountain, creating a corridor of seminal Public Art works. Shown here is a mockup of What Up placed in a highly visible roundabout. Outside of the current budget for the project, this vision would require infrastructure support by the City.
WHAT (UP) Steel and LED Lights 240” x 30” x 8”
J is for “Join” Marshall Way has traditionally operated as an “arts district” where residents and visitors can explore art galleries, attend the monthly art walk and give independently-owned businesses, salons and restaurants their patronage. Marshall Way is seen as one of the great retail streets in the area.
JOIN Steel 84” x 10” x 1”
W is for “Whoa” Banksy-style street art comes to the neighborhood.
Whoa adds a touch of satire. Distinctive and provocative, it helps define the street as a place that is contemporary, compelling and unlike any other.
WHOA Paint on pavement 0” x 26” x 120”
LOST Steel 108” x 480” x 12”
L is for “Lost” … and found! Using the existing infrastructure of the street this piece recycles and re-imagines four existing poles on the street corner. Most of the letters used throughout this project are reclaimed from former local businesses.
OOPS Cast tinted concrete 30” x 40”
O is for “Oops” Tea Time.
Spilled your smoothie? The QR code gives the viewer the prices and flavors for a refill at
POUR Steel 6” x 23”
P is for “Pour” This diminutive sculpture is located on the exterior wall at Steven Paul Salon utilizing an existing drain pipe. When it rains it pours! Activated by a monsoon, this piece becomes “conceptual” art only rarely in our desert climate. Oh … and the QR code reminds us to visit Fifth and Wine for their generous pours served during Happy Hour.
IDIO Steel 18” x 18” x 5”
I is for “Idio” If you know the history of Marshall Way then you know something of the history of Scottsdale … it is, after all, the birthplace of contemporary art in Arizona. From Elaine Horowitz and Marilyn Butler in the 70’s to the numerous arts related shops and stores of today, Marshall Way is known as a vibrant and dynamic locale for idiosyncratic specialty shopping and progressive businesses.
SOUL Steel 28” x 12” x 4”
S is for “Soul” Like most of the sculptures in our alphabetic streetscape, Soul is made from reclaimed letters collected from former local businesses.
HELP 30” x 14” x 12”
H is for “Help” Hidden away, like an Easter egg, this small beauty has an architectural design feel. Using existing street and landscape lighting for most of the sculptures keeps Four Letter Words on budget!
DAWG Steel 16” x 24” x 4”
D is for “Dawg” As in “What up dawg?” Scan the QR code for Dawg to find out which Marshall Way establishments are pet friendly. Can you take your Great Dane to Frank and Lupes ?
CIAO Steel 5” x 40” x 24”
C is for “Ciao” The Italian term for "Hi" or "Bye”. Ciao Bella - Hi Beautiful/Bye Beautiful!
SELF Steel 56” x 30” x 3”
S is for “Self” Self pulls you around the corner and onto 5th Avenue. Picture your own self-portrait. Instagram a Selfie to all of your friends and family back in chilly Des Moines.
VINO Steel 40” x 15” x 3”
V is for “Vino” In the words of Bob Marley, “red, red wine, you make me feel so fine”, especially really fine red wine. Vino is the standard word for wine in Spanish and Italian. As in, “I think you have had a little too much vino!”
NOYB Steel 16” x 24” x 4”
N is for “NYOB” Ever wondered what NYOB means? That is totally NYOB, bro! Well OK, it’s internet slang for “none of your bees wax.”
UPON Steel 34” x 24” x 3”
U is for “Upon” This one is self-explanatory. On a personal note, Four Letter Words reflects our interest in language both visual and verbal … how we communicate and connect through words and letters. All of the artworks in this series are small “concrete” poems .
FREE Steel 28” x 28” x 3”
F is for “Free” Stand at Ed Mell’s Jackknife sculpture on Main Street and look North to spy this wind activated sculpture attached to the light post at Marshall Way and 1st Avenue. Effectively bridging the gap between Main Street and Indian School Road, Free activates the area by gently spinning left and right catching the ever changing wind.
FEEL Steel and neon 180” x 160” x ”60
F is also for “Feel” Utilizing salvaged streetlight poles from the Scottsdale Traffic Department’s bone-yard would help stretch our budget. A “beacon” situated between Indian School and Main street, this piece is unfortunately not possible given the existing budget constraints.
TART Steel with LED lights 144” x 56” x 40”
T is for “Tart” Truly a “blue sky flight of imagination”, this illuminated piece reaches out over the streetscape, drawing attention to itself. Like the previous artwork Feel, Tart is not feasible within the budget for this project. We decided to show them both, just because we believe in blue sky flights!
Y is for “Yess” Yes, we welcome this opportunity to add to the rich history of Marshall Way. No we can’t produce FEEL and TART within the existing budget constraints. Yes, we can produce an entry artwork at Marshall Way and Indian School Road and a highly visible sculpture at Marshall Way and 3rd Street. All of the smaller sculptures will be fabricated in studio from steel letters that we have reclaimed for just this sort of project. Re-purposed typography from former Scottsdale area businesses are re-imagined as Robert Indiana styled word art! Yes, we are flexible in our approach to this project and open to adjusting and amending these initial ideas in order to accomplish a successful public art project. We understand the exact placement of final works will require co-ordination and co-operation with the City and stakeholders of this dynamic project.
About the artist: “John Randall Nelson is a storyteller. Friendliness, compassion, vulnerability, love and loss make up his narrative. Incorporating symbols and words, Nelson speaks truth on both a personal and universal level. Best known for taking simple, bold, instantly recognizable images of everyday symbols and imbibing them with a sense of Theatre, Nelson’s Art has been exhibited both nationally and abroad. He has completed commissions for clients as diverse as the National Endowment for the Arts, the United States Postal Service, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, and the BIO5 / Institute for Bio-Research at the University of Arizona. ” Andrea Schwartz Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Nelson began his career as a public artist with Harry above the Crowd, a 35 foot sculpture commissioned by the City of Tempe in 1998. Since then he has designed and produced over 15 large scale public art projects. To view a resume and recent commissions go to: http://whonelson.com/installations/public-art/