Valley Metro: CAPEX Artist Meet and Greet

Valley Metro: CAPEX Artist Meet and Greet

Meet the nine artists who were selected to create public art installations along the Capitol Light Rail Extension route. These artists will enrich these spaces of shared transit and reflect the character of the State Capitol community.

Meet The Artists:

Local artists Jose Benavides & Joe Ray have extensive experience creating artworks in the public art realm. Their projects include collaborating with students and residents to create medallions for the Maricopa Housing Authority and an artist-designed shade structure at Garcia School that included participation from hundreds of students and community members. Joe Ray also worked with an architectural firm and construction company to establish an art collection for the Helios Education Foundation campus. Both artists were selected by the City of Phoenix to create temporary shade installations throughout the city. Each has exhibited his artwork in several galleries and museum spaces. “As artists, our interest in this opportunity comes from taking pride in how Phoenix and surrounding communities evolve aesthetically and culturally as the city grows and attracts visitors from all over the world.”

Diana Calderon is a Phoenix-based visual artist and educator whose murals can be found throughout the Phoenix area. She has extensive experience in community engagement and leading collaborative projects. She takes pride in building community through art. Calderon has exhibited locally and nationally and has received grants from the City of Phoenix, among others. Calderon holds a BFA degree from Arizona State University and studied printmaking in Italy. “I believe in art as an instrument of education and cultural preservation. Art heals and is impactful on communities.”

Damien Davis is the recipient of the Rema Hort Mann Foundation Community Engagement Grant and has been awarded residencies with Pilchuck Glass School, Triangle Arts Association, the Museum of Arts and Design and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. His works have appeared at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. Davis has deep roots in Phoenix and looks forward to working collaboratively with the community to create artwork that reflects Phoenix's rich cultural tapestry. Davis holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art and an MA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University. He is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Sculpture at State University of New York at Purchase. “This personal connection motivates me to ensure that the art I create resonates deeply with residents and visitors alike.

Edgar Fernandez has exhibited his work in both solo and group exhibitions throughout the greater Phoenix area. His murals can be found on civic and privately owned buildings as well as city parks. Major awards include: Phoenix New Times Best Mural, Arizona Community Foundation New Arizona Prize, Phoenix College Vanguard Award and First Place Award in a group exhibition at an Arizona State University gallery. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from Arizona State University.

Sam Gomez has been a community leader in the arts for more than 20 years. He is a cultural developer, arts advocate and multimedia artist in photography and design. He is the founder and owner of the nonprofit The Sagrado, and the director and co-founder of Design Empowerment. The Sagrado is the first and only art gallery and community space in South Phoenix showcasing local artists. Gomez also provides design and community engagement consultation for City of Phoenix projects.

The team of Haddad | Drugan and Major believe in “developing art that can be integrated into a site functionally as well as aesthetically.” Haddad|Drugan has completed more than 50 permanent art installations across North America including several in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area. Their work is both iconic and interactive. The artists have also crafted public art plans for cities including Seattle, WA; Cary, NC; Greenville, NC; Bellevue, WA; and Calgary, AB. Haddad | Drugan has earned awards from professional organizations including the Americans for the Arts, American Society of Landscape Architects and American Council of Engineering Companies. Jescelle Major, an Assistant Teaching Professor at ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, joins Haddad|Drugan to conceive a meaningful art response for the CAPEX site and community. Her work centers on urban-scale change driven by environmentalism, historic fabric, and social justice.

Lauren Lee is a full-time artist living in the Phoenix area. She’s completed public art projects for the cities of Chandler, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe, as well as a variety of public and private organizations, including: the International Tourist Campaign for New York City, Pepsi Company, Lowes, Culdesac Tempe, Arizona Public Service, Valley Metro, The Arbors (Phoenix), Paseo on University (Tempe), Illuminate on Roosevelt, Blick Art Supplies, and Downtown Phoenix, Inc. Her work often references the desert’s natural world of flora and fauna. Lee has taught at the New School for the Arts (Phoenix) and the Mesa Arts Center.

Christina Ramirez has been an art educator and a full-time artist for 20 years. She strongly believes that “art is for everyone and should be everywhere.” Among her awards from the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Artist are a Work Grant, a Purchase Award and a Culture Artist Development Grant. She received an Arizona Commission on the Arts grant and the prestigious Contemporary Forum & Nathan Cummings Foundation Artist grant from the Phoenix Art Museum. Ramirez has also exhibited in several art spaces throughout the Phoenix area. She holds a BFA from Arizona State University and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Ramirez is represented by the Wilde Meyer Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ; LeftBank Art Mirada, CA; and FoundRe Contemporary in Phoenix.