Artist Mary Lucking created an art display distinct from previous Stark Gallery exhibits. She has taken her talent in design and planning to produce a detailed explanation of her artistic process. 

In the gallery, Lucking created a compilation of photographs and drawings which showcase how and why her work was designed for the community. Complementing each photograph is a description of how the art was created, as well as a map including where the piece is located. Her pieces span the Phoenix valley and are public pieces that all can enjoy.

In her art, Lucking encourages viewers to visualize why a city is built the way it is and to remember that a brilliant team of engineers, planners, designers and artists are behind the planning of a city.

“We are surrounded by a lot of public art here in Phoenix, but the process of how it comes to be there is hidden. I thought a peek behind the curtain could be useful for a student who is thinking about what sort of career she might want to pursue,” Lucking explained. 

Nissa Kubly, director of Stark Gallery, discovered Lucking’s public art when they were introduced years ago. Kubly has experience in metalworking and as the two began talking about the medium, she recognized Lucking as the artist installing public pieces.

“I chose this exhibit featuring Mary Lucking for Stark Gallery because she is doing something different in the scope of art and design,” Kubly said. 

Kubly explained that a public artist creates art for a community space that the groups and cities commission, whereas a studio artist creates with her own vision and then places it in a gallery. 

One notable piece of Lucking’s work in the community is a large magnifying glass which projects the viewer’s eyes onto a screen. This piece is located downtown at the entrance to the Arizona Science Center. 

This artwork is titled “Negotiations and Love Songs” which is a quote from “Train in the Distance,” a song by Paul Simon.“It refers to two main goals of any public art project: the need to respond to the practical aspects of a project’s context, and to also make something that expresses a poetic vision,” Lucking said.

Included in the Stark Gallery is a notebook for students to leave messages on Lucking’s work. This exhibit will be available in the gallery for approximately four more weeks, until a new artist will come to install his or her artwork.