Inside the Buckeye Public Library on Yuma Road, visitors are greeted by Lauren Lee’s suspended sculpture. It’s a shimmering constellation of colorful acrylic discs.
Lee has been immersed in public art for more than a decade. Her career began with commissions through the Mesa Arts Center, eventually expanding to projects across Tempe, Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Peoria.
Her latest Buckeye contribution is a large-scale installation inside the library, a piece she describes as both visually bold and accessible for residents.
Lee’s path to public art started in the classroom.
“I was teaching at a charter school for the arts, doing gallery shows on the side and eventually transitioned fully into public art. For the past 10 years, it’s been my full-time life,” she said.
Her Buckeye project was approved through the West Valley Arts Program, which funds projects in several cities. With a $10,000 budget, she said she designed a sculpture meant to inspire while also adding culture to the community.
This article first appeared in the September issue of InBuckeye Magazine
