Old Scottsdale Meets New

For my first post, I am showing a popular piece of public art displayed in the Scottsdale Mall, which is right next to the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. The LOVE sculpture was created by artist Robert Indiana. It is 12 feet high and 12 feet wide and 6 feet deep. It is made of aluminum and weighs 3,800 pounds. The work was featured on 330 million United States postage stamps issued in the 1970s. The art of Robert Indiana has been exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., and other leading museums and galleries. Scottsdale purchased the LOVE statue in 2002.

The Scottsdale Mall is not a shopping mall, but is a public plaza with fountains, gardens, grassy areas, restaurants, City Hall, City public library, and museums. The public plaza is adjacent to Old Town Scottsdale, where the Old West meets the New. Old Town is a very popular shopping and tourist district, with numerous galleries, cafes, outdoor musicians, public art, and with many Western and Native American features.