Santa Cruz River Art
Puddles The Great Plains Toad is the highlight work of art for many who cruise the Santa Cruz River Park section of The Tucson Loop. Garden of Gethsemane (very popular among people of faith) is the depiction of the Last Supper, featuring statues all made of concrete, sand, and debris recovered from the Santa Cruz River. The piece was moved to its current location in 1982 as a part of the Santa Cruz River flood control improvements. Top Golf and Sportsman’s Warehouse are popular places to park to access The Tucson Loop – Santa Cruz River Park section. Use our Google Maps feature to pinpoint your favorite Loop works of art.
Loop Trip Planning
Ajo / Irvington Bridge – Tucson Loop Art – 43
- Artist: Vicki Scuri
- Installed:1992
- Loop Art Overview: Intaglio designs used for the form liners of the concrete retaining walls were taken from the tire tracks left in the riverbed. A pattern of oblique angles and wide “V” shapes are repeated in the patterns that vary from 2 feet to 12 feet in height.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
Puddles the Great Plains Toad – Tucson Loop Art – 44
- Artists: City High School students
- Installed: 2016
- Loop Art Overview: Rescued from a County storage facility, this vintage 1950s concrete frog was given an updated coat of paint to look like a native Great Plains Toad, a species which is found onsite at Paseo de las Iglesias.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
Entry Ramada – Tucson Loop Art – 45
- Artist: Andy Dufford, Chevo Studios
- Installed: 2015
- Loop Art Overview: This custom gable to a pre-fabricated ramada that showcases native birds and plants in layers of cut and powder coated steel.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
Entry Monument – Tucson Loop Art – 46
- Artist: Andy Dufford, Chevo Studios
- Installed: 2015
- Loop Art Overview: The piece is a concrete etched entry monument with inset sandstone carvings of native animals and plants along with haikus on the reverse. An LED coopers hawk luminaria sits atop the monument.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
Anza & the Kino Tile Mural – Tucson Loop Art – 47
- Artist: Las Artes Arts and Education Center
- Installed:2015
- Loop Art Overview: This piece is a three-panel tile mural created by Las Artes students, which is themed with imagery of Spanish Explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and Padre Eusebio Kino.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
Tumamoc & the River of Life – Tucson Loop Art – 48
- Artists: Linda Haworth, John Lovegrove, Les Wallach
- Installed: 1993
- Loop Art Overview: Images come from archeological digs through time. Reproductions of Hohokam village artifacts appear on the lower wall. Memorials and message tiles were made during community workshops.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
Be Kind – Tucson Loop Art – 49
- Artists: Various
- Installed: Various
- Loop Art Overview: Leaves, dragonflies and the many users of the Loop are depicted in several mosaic murals. All are part of the Ben’s Bells effort, a program dedicated to promoting community kindness.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
Luis G. Gutierrez Bridge – Tucson Loop Art – 50
- Artist: Structural Grace Inc.
- Installed: 2014
- Loop Art Overview: The rich verdant land of the Santa Cruz River drew people to settle and farm here millennia ago. The integration of artistic themes on the bridge gives due reverence to this once perennial river that sustained and nourished countless generations before rapid population growth.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
Sentinel Plaza – Tucson Loop Art – 51
- Artists: Joy Fox, Andrew Rush, Chuck Sternberg, Judith Stewart, Bob Vint
- Installed: 2004
- Loop Art Overview: The dominant feature of the plaza is four rammed earth sculptural monoliths that face toward the black volcanic mountain now called Sentinel Peak. Design elements include a ‘spirit’ line, plaza, and seating.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
Garden of Gethsemane – Tucson Loop Art – 52
- Artist: Felix Lucero
- Installed:1945
- Loop Art Overview: The depiction of the Last Supper features statues all made of concrete, sand, and debris recovered from the Santa Cruz River. The piece was moved to its current location in 1982 as a part of the Santa Cruz River flood control improvements.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
Mesquite Garden Archway – Tucson Loop Art – 53
- Artist: Barbara Grygutis
- Installed: 1990
- Loop Art Overview: This archway was originally part of three garden installations completed in 2000: Acacia, Willow and Mesquite. In 2016, due to land settling, the tiled archway was moved to its current location.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
Santa Cruz Gateway – Tucson Loop Art – 54
- Artist: Susan Gamble
- Installed:1992
- Loop Art Overview: The entry mural sits in an elevated arch of used brick. Low concrete walls run the length of the park in seven separate sections. Ceramic tiles create a narrative of historical events in the nearby barrios.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
Columbus Park Entryway – Tucson Loop Art – 55
- Artist: Greg Schoon
- Installed:2011
- Loop Art Overview: The design was sketched onto the concrete and then incised lightly into the existing pavement of the plaza next to the baseball fields. The shapes were cut by hand using diamond cutting wheels and an angle grinder.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
Desert Bloom – Tucson Loop Art – 56
- Artist: Daniel Martin Diaz
- Installed:2017
- Loop Art Overview: The bridge railing encompasses the past, present and future of the Santa Cruz River by featuring desert blooms, flowing water, people from past, present and future communities, cottonwoods, snakes and birds that once populated the area.
Please note that each Tucson Loop work of art has a number that corresponds to our free downloadable PDF.
