Art installation magnifies life in Heritage Reach of Santa Cruz River

LANDING PLACE, a temporary art installation and celebration of the living Santa Cruz River (SCR), features handmade, decorative windsocks to raise the visibility of plants and animals that have returned to the river with the introduction of reclaimed water to the “Heritage Reach” through downtown Tucson.

Windsocks are traditionally used to indicate wind direction, speed, and landing sites in industrial or aviation contexts. These mark the SCR as a riparian corridor in a site of layered ecological and human history—the very reason Tucson exists—by magnifying fragments of the living landscape. Loosely inspired by Japanese koinobori and Tibetan prayer flags, they reference rituals found across cultures to honor resilience and blessings for all beings. They also signal Tucson’s birthplace, between the SCR and S-cu:k Ṣoñ (Sentinel Peak), with over 4,000 years of human presence.

A collaboration between Maxie Adler, a Tucson-based muralist, textile-artist, and printmaker; and Kimi Eisele, a writer, visual artist, choreographer, and folklorist. Maxie is a founding member and organizer with the Santa Cruz River Refuge Coalition, a community-led effort to designate the SCR as a National Wildlife Refuge, and a leader with the Tucson Birthplace Open Space Coalition (TBOSC), which works to protect Tucson’s birthplace and floodplain as permanent open space. Kimi has carried out multiple artworks in and along the Santa Cruz River since 2000. The project is funded by a MOCA-Tucson Night Bloom grant.

WHERE: View the windsocks from either side of the Santa Cruz River, halfway between Cushing St. and West Starr Pass Blvd.

Opening and closing receptions: Verdugo Park, 902 S Verdugo Ave, Tucson, AZ 85745

WHEN: May 3 through May 10, 2025 (Santa Cruz River Day)
Opening reception, Saturday, May 3, 5-8pm
Closing ceremony, Saturday, May 10, 6pm

Images:
Detail of Santa Cruz River Heritage Reach, Kimi Eisele photo
Flyer, front & back