Let's Begin
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- Completion Date: 2004
- Artist: Joe Beeler
- Location: Corner of Tatum Boulevard and Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley.
- Description: The Town of Paradise Valley commissioned the first major work of art to celebrate the life of Senator Barry Goldwater. The memorial sits just below the hilltop house where Goldwater lived until his death in 1989. On February 14, 2004 the one and one-half times life-size bronze statue by artist, Joe Beeler, was unveiled as a centerpiece of the Barry Goldwater Memorial. The Memorial is located at the northeast corner of Tatum Boulevard and Lincoln Drive in the Town of Paradise Valley. Although the bronze statue will be the focal point for the Memorial, the site is professionally landscaped with desert plantings and other features, and includes a pedestrian path inscribed with noteworthy quotes denoting some of Senator Goldwater's lifetime beliefs.
Beeler, a long-time friend of Goldwater, worked on the sculpture for six months, and used photos, memories and videos to help him accurately portray Goldwater’s likeness. Barry Goldwater was an avid and skilled pilot, a talented photographer and famous for his direct approach to politics. But above all he was a passionate Arizonan who loved the many unique features of this State. This sculptural portrait in the desert setting will speak eloquently of what was important to him.
- Funding: This project was made possible by the Town of Paradise Valley, AZ.
- Photos: View photos of this artwork by GEOPA Project author, Alice Christie, Ph.D.
Click each picture to see are larger view.
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What We'll Learn
- Navigate to the Barry Goldwater Memorial using a GPS receiver
- Walk through the park and count the number of different cacti and desert plants.
- Read the signs that describe the plants.
- What kind of information is on each sign?
- Read the Barry Goldwater quotes on the walkway that runs through the park.
- Which quote did you like the most? Why?
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- View the statue of Barry Goldwater from a distance:
- Describe what you see.
- What medium is used for this artwork?
- Why do you think the artist made the statue one and one-half times life-size?
- View the statue of Barry Goldwater close-up
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Touch the surface of the statue if you'd like.
- What can you tell about the kind of man Goldwater was?
- Can you guess at any of his hobbies?
- How do you think he felt in the Arizona desert?
- If you have a camera, take some pictures of the statue.
- What makes the best background for your photo? Why?
- What does this tell you about how different people view the world or world leaders?
- Think about these questions?
- Why did the people of Paradise Valley decide to build this park?
- Why did they choose this particular site?
- Why is this public art work outside rather than inside a building?
- Where else could this public art be meaningfully place? Why?
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Let's Explore
About the Artist
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Joe Beeler, CA, a pioneer in the field of Western art, was trained in art at Tulsa University and the Art Center School of Design in California.
His work is a blend of historic and contemporary subject matter. He has had one-man shows in every major western museum in the United States. His art has been exhibited in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His paintings, drawings and sculptures are prized by private collectors including Eddie Basha who has one of the great contemporary art collections in the United States. |
In 1965 Joe Beeler helped found the Cowboy Artists of America, the organization credited with inspiring the popularity of western art today. Honored as an Arizona History Maker, Beeler received a Living Legends Award from the Canadian government and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Cowboy Artists of America.
Joe Beeler died Wednesday April 26, 2006. He was helping neighbors and friends rope and brand calves when he succumbed to a heart attack. Joe was 74 years old. He was born on Christmas Day in 1931.
Other Work by and Information About the Artists
Sculptures
Paintings
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Let's Share
Let's Check
Evaluation and Reflection
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Evaluation
- What plants did you see when you visited this public art site?
- Which Barry Goldwater quotation seemed to most apply to our current world? Why?
- Why is a bronze a good medium for outdoor statues?
- Why is bronze a good medium to commemorate famous people?
- What do you know about Barry Goldwater now that you didn't know before you visited this public artwork?
Reflection
- What did you learn about public art from this experience?
- How does public art add to people's enjoyment of an outdoor park?
- What aspect of this public art made the greatest impression on you? Why?
- How does this Public Art help you develop a sense of your community? Help you identify with your community?
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Let's Learn More
Other links on Barry Goldwater:
Other links on Joe Beeler:
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Teacher's Notes
This lesson is linked to the following Arizona State Department Standards:
- Visual Arts
Strand 2: Relate
Concept 4: Meanings or Purposes
Concept # 4: Meanings or Purposes: The student will interpret meanings or purposes of artwork based on contextual information.
- Visual Arts
Strand 3: Evaluate
Concept 2: Materials, Tools, and Techniques
Concept # 2: Materials, Tools, and Techniques:The student will reflect on, and determine how materials, tools, and techniques affect meanings, purposes, and value in artworks.
- Visual Arts
Strand 3: Evaluate
Concept 4: Meanings or Purposes
Concept # 4: Meanings or Purposes: The student will judge an artist’s success in communicating meaning or purpose in their artwork.
- Technology
Standard 5: Technology Research Tools
Students utilize technology-based research tools to locate and collect information
pertinent to the task, as well as evaluate and analyze information from a variety of
sources.
- Technology
Standard 6: Technology as a Tool for Problem Solving and Decision-making
Students use technology to make and support decisions in the process of solving
real-world problems.
- Language Arts Reading
Strand 3: Comprehending Informational Text
Students identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the purpose, structures, and elements of expository text.
- Language Arts: Listening and Speaking
Students effectively listen and speak in situations that serve different purposes and involve a variety of audiences.
- LS-E1. Effectively convey the message through verbal and nonverbal communications with a specific audience
- LS-E3. Interpret and respond to questions
- Language Arts: Viewing and Presenting
Students use a variety of visual media and resources to gather, evaluate and synthesize information and to communicate with others.
- VP-E1. Analyze visual media for language, subject matter and visual techniques used to influence opinions, decision making and cultural perceptions
- VP-E2. Plan, develop and produce a visual presentation, using a variety of media such as videos, films, newspapers, magazines and computer images
- VP-E3. Compare, contrast and establish criteria to evaluate visual media for purpose and effectiveness
- Social Studies: Geography
Concept 1: The World in Spatial Terms
The spatial perspective and associated geographic tools are used to organize and interpret information about people, places and
environments.
- PO-1:Use different kinds of maps to solve problems
- PO-7: Locate physical features in AZ using maps and other location devices
- Social Studies: Geography
Concept 4: Human systems and culture, their nature, and their distribution affects societies and the Earth.
- PO-4: Describe cultural characteristics of Arizona's diverse populations
- PO-6: Describe elements of culture in areas studied
- Workplace Skills Standards
- Standard 1: Students use principles of effective oral, written and listening communication skills to make decisions and solve problems.
- Standard 2: Students apply computation skills and data analysis techniques to make decisions and solve problems.
- Standard 3: Students apply critical and creative thinking skills to make decisions and solve problems.
- Standard 4: Students work individually and collaboratively within team settings to accomplish objectives.
- Standard 7: Students demonstrate technological literacy for productivity in the workplace.
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