- City:
- Nogales, AZ
- Site Type:
- Art Works, Sculpture and Bas Relief
- New Deal Agencies:
- Arts Programs, Work Relief Programs, Federal Arts Project (FAP), National Youth Administration (NYA)
- Artist:
- Kathleen Wilson
Description
“One of the primary goals of the Federal Art Project was to bring different kinds of art to the American people. Sculptor Kathleen Wilson was funded by FAP to create 12 three-foot statues representing historic priests. Local teenagers were hired with National Youth Administration funds to build the shrine structures for the “Camino de los Padres.” With the support of local Chambers of Commerce, the statues were placed along Arizona roadways. This statue with its stone grotto outside of Nogales has attracted much devotion since construction in 1939. Most statues have subsequently disappeared and many of those that are left have suffered from vandalism.”
Source notes
"The New Deal in Arizona: Connections to Our Historic Landscape," University of Arizona, The New Deal in Arizona Chapter of the National New Deal Preservation Association. https://www.library.arizona.edu/newdeal/map.html The above quote and photos can be found at: https://content.library.arizona.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/NewDeal/id/191Contribute to this Site
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