Joan Waters, The Art of Growing

This mural was part of the introduction to a nature-based curriculum, including children's hands-on gardening activities, and it provides a colorful backdrop on the two main walls of the community room. The project was funded by generous grants from the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, and by Summa Associates, which oversees the Center.

Viewed from left to right, we see desert cacti and creatures, a large copper sun, and a pond full of fish being watched by a large frog. Anansi the spider hovers over the storytelling area, where a dog is reading a book beneath a large, leafy tree. The grassy lawn has a blanket spread out for a picnic, or a place to sprawl and watch the fireflies that line the edge of the meadow. A path leads back through the woods—the start of a hike or an imaginative adventure. A tiled patio garden, showing how we can participate in nature by growing bright sunflowers and an agave in pots, is watched over by Spot, many birds, and a new moon with its promise of new beginnings.

The Art of Growing

Acrylic and latex paints on wall
9' h x 42' w, 2006
Located at Copper Sun
Child Development Center
150 N. 4th Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona