Blue Sky Project
Spring 2019
Community Collaborative at the Westward Ho
ASU Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions
With the residents of Westward Ho in collaboration with Mary Fitzgerald
Fabric, photographs, dance, video, story
What is your favorite time of day?
What do you remember when you look at the sky?
What comes to mind when you think of the color blue?
Mary Fitzgerald and Tessa Windt, a dancer and visual artist respectively, spent Monday afternoons in April in the Westward Ho lobby inviting residents to join them on creative adventures in response to these questions. Participants stopped by, some for a few minutes, others each week, to tell stories through conversation, movement, fabric and photographs. Each of the resulting artworks reflect on the sky and the color blue in their own unique way. Visual artworks match the scale of Westward Ho windows to honor the site, its continued presence in the center of a changing Phoenix landscape, the stories of its residents, and the sky it is surrounded by. Video documentation captures the gestures of residents and the stories and memories they convey through dance.
Conversation
Sarah
I grew up in Indiana, and I used to look out my window at the moon. I lived in a big house.
Veronica
When I look out my window, I see a tower. It reminds me of home – the New York City skyline. Nighttime is my favorite time of day. I love looking at the moon.
Margaret
I remember looking out at our backyard, and it reminded me of the ocean. I love water.
Glenda
I lived in the mountains in Kearn county. When I looked at the sky, there were times that I would see 2 mirages. One looked like a golden dome. It was elaborate – like a mosque. The other was a mirage of a steamboat on crystal clear water. Some other women saw the same thing. … I would see the birds that were endangered – the California condors. At nighttime, I used to see all of the stars and the condors passing overhead. Once I saw a golden eagle that was completely still. She was so close I could have touched her.
Session and Artwork Documentation
Anonymous
Jean Kinnaman
Glenda Neukirchner
Sarah Hochstetler
Sarah Hochstetler
Veronica Zawodniak
Anonymous
