Signature public art piece planned for City CenterSurprise, AZ (October 20, 2021) A signature art piece is slated for the downtown City Center corridor, following approval by the Surprise City Council at Tuesday’s Regular Meeting. “Bloom Where You’re Planted,” by artist Brad Oldham, is designed as an 18-foot tall, mirror-polished steel saguaro cactus. The piece features spring cactus blooms that will be illuminated at night. As a tribute to our city’s founder Flora Statler, her image will be located in the back of the cactus, visible through an open Dutch door, inviting visitors to approach and share their dreams and wishes with her. Oldham’s design was selected by the Surprise Arts & Cultural Advisory Commission last month, following a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process, seeking qualified artists to create an original large art piece for City Center. The $334,500 project will be funded through the Council-adopted ordinance, which earmarks 1.3% of Capital Improvement Project (CIP) initial costs to be dedicated to public art. The CIP funding supporting this art piece is a combination of the road improvement and pavement preservation projects approved by voters in the 2017 General Obligation Bond Election. The exact location for the art, to be placed along Bullard Avenue, in City Center, is still under review. The anticipated completion date for “Bloom Where You’re Planted” is December 2022. 
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