Dorsey Ln & Apache Blvd Light Rail Station in Tempe

This is an attractive station located on Apache Boulevard in Tempe.  Apache is a wide road and the surrounding architecture is mostly single story so the area feels very open and spacious.  The station itself is filled with colorful public are: it's dotted with sculptures, tile sculptures, inlaid tile, metal coins with messages. 

One could spend an hour or two just reading and enjoying the bursts of colors. The art here is a collaboration of four different artists.  The most imposing element are the hands reaching into the sky, but don't skip the details, like the pavers in the middle which relate stories and anecdotes collected from the Apache neighborhood.

photos: Artur Ciesielski ©

Metro Public Art

"Artwork at the four stations along Apache Boulevard followed a slightly different model from the rest. Rather than selecting one artist per station, four were chosen to work together, each in a separate specialty. Portland artist Christine Bourdette, to create artwork in the green screen; Seattle artist Dan Corson as a lighting artist; Seattle artist Benson Shaw selected to create artwork in the paving; and New York artist Suikang Zhao for sculptural pieces.

The four collaborated on a theme that loosely tied their works together and then set about making dynamic pieces that interweave and catch the viewer’s eye at every level.

The Space Between is the collective title for the Dorsey station artworks. Echoing this theme, Zhao’s cast bronze Hands stand 21-feet high, towering over the

entryway. The lacy interwoven surface suggests conversations in different languages.

Corson’s chrome skeletal remains of a Saguaro is hollow inside with dramatic lighting that focuses attention on both interior and exterior surfaces.

Shaw’s Energize pavers radiate out from the center of the platform relating stories and anecdotes collected from the Apache neighborhood.

Finally, Bourdette’s richly colored mosaic boxes, Points of View, present both human and animal figures, on each side of the green screen separate yet engaged and seemingly in dialogue." (Metro Art Book)