Viewers Are Bowled Over As Freeway Goes to Pots

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

But many residents of this city believe giant bowls, teapots and dishes that have sprung up along a five-mile stretch of the Squaw Peak Parkway would please only Alice in Wonderland.

A $474,000 series of vessel-themed public art aimed at placating neighborhoods hurt by construction of the mid-town freeway has managed to have the opposite effect.

“I love art, don’t get me wrong,” says George Sachen, whose home looks out on seven of the 35 pieces that compose the “Wall Cycle.” But this . . . it doesn’t fit. It doesn’t appease.”

The project--which borders the barrier walls on either side of the parkway and includes landscaping, seating and artworks from 2- to 15-feet high--has been the subject of criticism ever since the first pieces went up last month.

Callers (some approving) have kept phone lines buzzing at City Hall and the Phoenix Arts Commission, which oversaw the project. Newspaper columnists and cartoonists have berated the works. One radio station broadcast from the parkway, asking drivers to “Honk if you hate the pots.”

A few days ago, someone threw a rope around a three-foot-tall glass vase and pulled it off the wall, breaking it at the neck, police said.

The hue and cry has sent city officials scrambling to re-evaluate the public arts planning process.

Mayor Paul Johnson called spending nearly $500,000 on the project “outrageous” at a time when the city is laying off employees and cutting back services. He criticized the hiring of Massachusetts artists and asked how the project--funded by bond money designed specifically to alleviate freeway construction pains--could have missed its mark.

Now, city officials are considering cuts in Phoenix’s ambitious program to buy artworks and adorn public sites from office buildings to sewage plants.

Deborah Whitehurst, executive director of the commission, said the “Wall Cycle” should not be judged until it is complete and has been experienced on foot or on a bike.

“We’re not asking everyone to love it,” she said. “But we would like people to give it a chance.”

Chairman Craig Tribken of the City Council’s arts, sports and culture subcommittee said: “Some things are an acquired taste. Maybe in six months people will be saying these are great. Then again, maybe not.”