How artist-designed shade structures are protecting vulnerable residents in US's hottest city

"As global temperatures increase annually, communities across the world are facing the troubling fact that their infrastructure was built for a climate that no longer exists. Offering a glimpse of the potential issues to comae, residents of Phoenix, Arizona-the hottest city in the US, and fifth-largest-are grappling with life-threatening conditions, including recent reports of heatstroke and burns affecting its community of unhoused individuals."

""Each project brings something new and exciting to the table," Carrie Brown, the deputy director of the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, tells The Art Newspaper. "The artists experimented with a variety of materials, from heat-mitigating paint to corn husks and adobe bricks. They also experimented with fabrication methods and temporary anchoring systems.""

"The Arizona-based artists Jose Benavides and Joe Ray experimented with solar-powered misting systems in their pavilion, Rincón de Color. Taking the form of a gathering place in Cielito Park, the installation includes motion-detecting sensors that activate mist during the hottest parts of the day. The design of the shade includes four large Oaxacan mythological creatures known as alebrije, which were painted on the structure's supporting columns with the help of local high school students."

Rising temperatures have left Phoenix infrastructure ill-equipped for current climate extremes, producing life-threatening heat impacts for residents, particularly unhoused people. The city installed nine temporary, artist-designed shades across public spaces to provide cooling and public gathering places. Projects employ heat-mitigating paints, UV-resistant canvas, corn husks, adobe bricks, solar-powered misting systems, motion sensors, and temporary anchoring methods. Interactive and community-made elements include resident drawings, high school student-painted alebrije columns, and sensor-triggered mist during the hottest hours. The installations demonstrate material experiments, fabrication methods, and community collaboration aimed at reducing heat exposure and creating shaded public relief.

Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events