about ¡Sombra!
experiments in shade
¡Sombra! is an innovative public art project that brings together local and national artists, civic leaders, and residents to experiment with cooling and shading solutions in response to Phoenix’s extreme urban heat.
¡Sombra! is funded in part by the Public Art Challenge, a Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative that invites mayors, artists, and community to collaborate on temporary public art projects that shine a light on critical local issues and encourage action to address them.
Nine winning artists were selected from over 80 submissions by a diverse panel of specialists from the City of Phoenix’s Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, the Office of Innovation, the Phoenix Office of Arts & Culture, as well as local and national artists and design professionals.
The ¡Sombra! artists are experimenting with innovative materials and processes, creative themes, and community engagement activities resulting in temporary art installations which will be unveiled throughout the City of Phoenix in the Spring of 2025.
¡Sombra! artists, project partners, and the public will come together to celebrate ¡Sombra! Experiments in Shade at a free, family-friendly event on September 20, 2025, at Memorial Hall located at Steele Indian School Park.
From Temporary to Permanent
The City’s public art program has a long history of commissioning artist-designed shade structures and has committed funding for shade, cooling, and heat mitigation projects in its Public Art Plan. Depending on the success of ¡Sombra! Experiments in Shade, some artists may be commissioned to turn their projects into permanent installations. Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture will work closely with our partners to determine which projects, if any, are suitable candidates for permanent installation.
¡Sombra! Locations
¡Sombra! PARTNERs
¡Sombra! Experiments in Shade is led by Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture in collaboration with the Parks and Recreation Department, the Office of Innovation, the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, and the Mayor’s Office.
The Project Team also includes two Phoenix artists, Maria Salenger and Fausto Fernandez, who work closely with the selected artists to fully develop and implement their proposed ideas, including providing technical assistance, logistical support, and guidance on community outreach strategies.
Additional project support provided by Kimley-Horn (structural engineering), Audience Magnets (marketing), Amoroma Productions (videography), and Aaron Rothman (photography).
PHOENIX Office of ARTS AND CULTURE
Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture is the designated local arts agency for the city that supports, champions, and promotes the local arts, culture, and educational community to make Phoenix a great place to live, work, and visit.
The agency manages an award-winning public art program; grants funds to artists and nonprofit arts organizations; oversees a dozen cultural facilities, including the S’edav Va’aki Museum, the gateway to the cultural history of the Phoenix area; supports programs and events for students to help develop their personal, social, and intellectual skills that are critical to success in life, school, and work; assures that the City complies with all laws and regulations regarding the identification and proper treatment of historic properties, objects, and other archaeological resources; and participates in national studies and research that make a strong case for arts, culture, and youth development to demonstrate their economic, social, practical, and educational benefits. Learn more about Phoenix Office of Arts & Culture.
HEAT READY PHOENIX
Phoenix is the hottest large city in the United States and the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation is leading the way to fight the growing hazard of extreme urban heat.
During all seasons of the year, the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation coordinates programs and policies to help lower urban temperatures and protect public health. It also tracks trends, collects data, and collaborates with other governments and organizations to share ideas and solutions when it comes to dealing with heat.
Using heat maps and data collection, the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation identified key areas in Phoenix in need of shade and cooling structures, resulting in the nine ¡Sombra! park locations. The Office also works with the artists to develop design concepts and recommend materials and construction techniques to maximize cooling effects. Learn more about Heat Ready Phoenix.
PARKS AND RECREATION
The City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department is an intrinsic partner for the ¡Sombra! project. Working in close collaboration with artists and their construction teams, the department assists in installation location, safety, community engagement and education. Nine parks across the Valley are involved in creatively addressing the need for additional shade and cooling in their neighborhoods.
Lack of trees, ground vegetation and shade, along with large amounts of asphalt, contribute to the heat-island effect of Phoenix’ urban heat, resulting in increased temperatures. With this in mind, the ¡Sombra! park locations, one from each City Council District, represent diverse neighborhoods in Phoenix where shade experiments and community engagement activities can occur. Learn More about City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department.
INNOVATE PHOENIX
The City of Phoenix Office of Innovation partners with residents, City departments, and local and national organizations to advance solutions to our City’s most pressing challenges, championing the strategic use of data to deliver effective, efficient and equitable impacts for the City and its diverse communities. The Office leads the citywide Bloomberg Philanthropies partnership and “Smart Cities” efforts for the Phoenix City Manager’s Office, hosts twice yearly Innovate PHX Challenge community “hackathons,” and leads the testing and evaluation of new ideas and technologies. The Office of Innovation serves as an advisor to support the selected artists on the use of innovative materials and design, metrics development and evaluation, as well as connections to the City’s Innovation ecosystem. Learn more about Innovate Phoenix.
THE OFFICE OF PHOENIX MAYOR KATE GALLEGO
With Phoenix on the frontlines of climate change, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego is working to develop new strategies to cut emissions, build resilient infrastructure, and importantly, empower residents to take climate action. Spearheading creative and innovative initiatives to cool and combat extreme urban heat, Mayor Gallego has made it a priority to make Phoenix the most sustainable desert city in the world. Learn more about the Office of the Mayor.
BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES
The Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge brings together mayors, residents, and artists to develop temporary public art projects that address important civic issues in their communities. In 2022, Bloomberg Philanthropies invited mayors of U.S. cities with 30,000 residents or more to apply for up to $1 million in funding to create temporary public art projects that address important civic issues and demonstrate an ability to generate public-private collaborations, celebrate creativity and urban identity, and strengthen local economies.
More than 150 cities from 40 U.S. states applied. Bloomberg Philanthropies selected eight winning cities to develop projects focused on challenges related to climate change, equity, food insecurity, gun violence, homelessness, public health, and revitalization. The City of Phoenix was awarded a $1 million Public Art Challenge grant for ¡Sombra!, to explore artistic solutions to address extreme urban heat.
Since launching in 2014, the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge has spurred more than $100 million in economic benefits for participating cities and action across a range of civic issues. Learn more about The Public Art Challenge.
