Lion Eyes
Location
The City of Flagstaff commissioned an original artwork to welcome visitors to Mountain Line’s Downtown Connection Center (DCC) building.
“Lion Eyes (Through the Forest),” designed by Haddad|Drugan, is an illuminated glass installation above the main entry vestibule depicting Flagstaff’s natural beauty.
The imagery incorporates elements of the Mountain Line logo through a grid of small dots, including a mountain lion (the blue dots), the San Francisco Peaks (the green dots), and ponderosa pines (the red dots).
The three-color layers of glass, fabricated by Glasmalerei Peters Studio, are superimposed on the south façade and blend into shades of brown where they overlap.
ERW’s ColorKinetics LED fixtures illuminate the glass from behind, creating a magical scene at night as the light color changes. Programmed by Michael Moffett from Allied Group Sales, the changing colors highlight the individual layers of glass and transform the artwork as some of the overlapping images change color.
About the Artwork
About the Artist
The work of artist team Haddad|Drugan is an experimental inquiry into methods of manipulating environmental phenomena in the built environment. Haddad|Drugan specializes in conceptually driven public art that is often integrated into large-scale infrastructure projects.
Laura Haddad and Tom Drugan’s collaboration as an artist team began in 2001 and has fostered a wide range of innovative site-specific public art commissions and plans. Their Seattle-based studio, Haddad|Drugan LLC, operates at intersections of art, architecture, landscape, and theater. Laura Haddad has a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor’s degree in History from Bowdoin College. Her background also includes jewelry and stage set design. She has recently served as a member of the Seattle Design Commission and Seattle Public Art Advisory Committee. Tom Drugan received a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Harvard University and a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of Colorado. His background includes sustainable building, filmmaking, and lighting.
Haddad and Drugan have taught at the Rhode Island School of Design and University of Washington and lectured in venues across the country. Their training in architecture and landscape architecture helps them to successfully translate art concepts to large scales, respond to contextual conditions, and integrate environmental processes into work that performs aesthetically, functionally, and ecologically. The artists’ award-winning work has been published in Sculpture, Architectural Record, Landscape Architecture, Eco-Structure, Landscape Journal, Land Forum, and other journals and books.
The Haddad|Drugan studio also includes collaborators Richard Desanto and Rhys Harrington, both of whom graduated from University of Washington with Master’s degrees in Landscape Architecture and who contribute their skills in design, modeling, drafting, and graphics to the artworks of Haddad Drugan.
Questions for Elementary School Families
What shapes, patterns, and colors can you find in the artwork?
The artwork shows parts of Flagstaff’s natural beauty. What do you think makes Flagstaff’s nature so special?
How does this artwork remind you of the forests or mountains around Flagstaff?
Why do you think the artist chose to include a mountain lion?
This artwork lights up at night! How do you think the colors look different in the dark compared to during the day?
Why do you think that the artist wanted the colors to change? How do you think this would make people feel as they walk by?
Questions for Secondary School Families
How does the use of color, light, and texture affect the way you experience this piece of art?
What mood or feeling does the artwork create? How do the lighting and colors contribute to that feeling?
How does the location of the piece (at a transportation hub) change its meaning or purpose?
In what ways does this art piece reflect the relationship between nature and city life in Flagstaff?
This artwork uses illuminated glass and LED lights that change colors. How does the use of technology change your experience compared to a traditional painting or mural?
How might this installation look and feel different during the day compared to at night?
What do you think the artists wanted people to feel or think about as they walk under this artwork?
Extension Activity
Create your own brightly colored animal artwork inspired by Joel Geist’s Fox and the Flowers mural! Pick an animal and sketch a realistic outline. Choose unlikely and bright colors to create a work of art inspired by Joel Geist.