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For the past three years I have been taking math classes at Pima College - one class per semester. Math is not my natural strength. It has been a struggle, but I worked very hard and received good grades. Now I am enrolled in a writing class, and I notice how long it has been since I have engaged in any kind of creative expression. My first homework was to write about someone or something lifechanging. I wrote about the Village. My paper served double duty, as I submitted it to my teacher and to the editors of the Village-booklet. My second assigment was to present a profile of a person, place, or event in Tucson.
Last year someone asked me to name my favorite place in Tucson. I had to think about that for a while. There is a hard to define favorite, which is the kitchen table of any of my friends. The other favorite is actually just down the street from my house. It's the Cancer Survivers' Plaza on the Reid Park land. I noticed it when it was being built, but it took me a year or so to actually go and check it out. It has been my favorite quiet spot since.
When I chose this plaza as topic for my profile essay I was thinking about Tom and his amazing story. It was before Tom's annual check-up, before he learned unsettling news, before it became a tricky topic to post on our site. Tom and MaryKay thought it was a good thing, however, to go ahead and post this.
For all the Toms and MaryKays:
RICHARD AND ANNETTE BLOCH
CANCER SURVIVORS PLAZA
Assignment # 2 - Profile
Final Draft
3/03/08
By Patricia Williams
WRT 101, T/Th 11:40
Driving through Tucson on 22nd Street is not necessarily a treat – the street does not offer many beautiful views. Somewhere, partway through town, however, lies a gem, well worth stopping to take the time to look and linger.
The first sign of this monument, visible from the street, is a group of brightly colored columns of ornate metal work. Moving closer, you will notice people on the front path. A second look reveals that these people are not moving. They are statues: a man and a woman, a little boy between them, all holding hands. Behind them are what seem to be frames or doorways, spiraling forward in rectangular fashion. The family in front looks to have just stepped out of these frames. Further back, the form of a young woman is stepping into the other end of the frame structure. Her clothes resemble a tennis outfit, and her face is set with determination. Not far behind follows an elderly couple, worry evident in their expression. A man with a toddler girl on his arm ends the procession of brass figures. A nearby plaque explains that the statues represent cancer patients before, during, and after their cancer treatments, which in themselves are signified by the frame structure.
The plaza itself lies behind the group. Square columns rise up to hold a canopy of large tiles. The columns are made of sheet metal, with a delicate design of cactus blossoms and vines cut out on all four sides. The tiles above are also sheet metal with great bloom cut-outs. Entering the plaza, you are engulfed by a perplexing mix of grand shapes and intricate details in rich, deep shades of yellow, magenta and teal. From an airplane, you might see the shape of a cross with a great circle in the middle. On the ground, your attention will be drawn to the fountain which dominates the center. It is in the shape of a circle with two smaller concentric circles in the middle. Two walls intersect it in perpendicular fashion, as if cutting away from the watery play. A beautiful mosaic of flowers and vines is tiled onto one side of the walls, while the other side is bare. On this other side, the remaining circle is filled up with dirt; there are no flowers, no green plants, no adornment – just dirt. The contrast is stark between the lively bubbling of the fountain and the deadness of the dry ground; life and death, both exist within the same circle. Aside from the planned analogies this plaza offers, time and neglect have begun to tell yet another story. Whitewashed with calcium and limestone the tiles still show off their glory, however veiled. Debris floats in the water, competing for attention, tainting the joy of beholding. The truth stands out: without proper care, all things beautiful and lively will fade.
Along the edges of the concrete walkways are benches to rest and plaques with encouraging and informational statements, helpful to those facing cancer, whether for themselves or for loved ones. Desert landscape continues the artistic theme of the plaza. The entire monument is nestled between Reid Park on the west side, Reid Park Zoo to the north, and a horseshoe field with clubhouse some thirty paces east. Along the south runs 22nd Street, offering McDonald’s food just across the street. An odd mix of traffic rushing by and exotic birds chirping from the zoo add to the atmosphere of the place.
It is an interesting experience to walk up to the statues and to stand among them. They look so life-like, even in their stillness. Yet, it is their size that is most surprising: they stand at a scale of about seventy-five percent. Spending time in the plaza and letting your eyes and thoughts roam you will discover many more details and metaphors, and perhaps some wisdom for your own life. The Cancer Survivors Plaza is located on 22nd Street, between Country Club Road and Alvernon Way. |
