Scottsdale AZ Announces 1st Pocket Park

Since January of 2009, the Boulder, Colorado-based artist Michael Beitz has designed pieces in diverse media for display in international exhibitions of all sizes. In April of 2021, KJZZ, a local public radio station, announced the construction of a pocket park, designed by Michael Beitz. The pocket park, the first of its kind in the area, will ideally perform several functions.

Scottsdale Public Art public art manager Kevin Vaughan-Brubaker discussed the rationale behind the park’s construction during the interview announcing the project. Vaughan-Brubaker cited Scottsdale’s World War II origins, and the heightened importance of the automobile at the time, as leading to a neglect for the pedestrian experience. Due to the public’s interest in environmentally-friendly ways to commute to work, and the COVID-19 pandemic compelling workers to focus on their local communities, Vaughan-Brubaker wants the pocket park to liven the community in a way only experienced on foot.

During the same interview, Beitz elaborated on how his training as a sculptor and furniture designer informs how he will design the park, his first project on this scale. He plans to visit the location, to learn how people use the preexisting space. Then, using those observations, he will determine what features to include, and where to place them, to best serve the park’s users. As stated repeatedly during the interview, he wants the park to offer a reprieve from the urban environment around it and, whether a resident merely walks through it on their commute or stops there, that it makes them “feel good”.