River Pattern Panels

Photograph of cut and coated steel panels in railing at Rio Salado. The panels are bright green.

River Patterns are series of powder-coated cut-steel panels installed along the railings of the Gateway Plazas at the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area south of downtown Phoenix, Arizona. The panels depicted here are “Sonoran Desert Toad” and “Raindrop.” The River Patterns are paired semi-abstract designs derived from photographs. The pairings reflect the interrelatedness of the various myriad elements of the desert river habitat.

The plans for the Gateway Plazas were created by a design team commissioned by the City of Phoenix. The design team was: Orcutt/Winslow Partnership, architects; Christy Ten Eyck, landscape architect; and Thomas Strich, artist. Thomas went on to produce public art elements for the completed Gateway Plazas.