Take Flight, 2022

Take Flight is located in Mesa’s Asian District, an area comprised of more than 70 Asian-themed restaurants, grocery stores, and other service and retail businesses along a two-mile stretch on Dobson Road in west Mesa. The project features both a mural and 15 painted columns in the Barcelona shopping center.

The mural focuses on the Mesa Asian District’s three pillars of culture, commerce, and community through symbolism. Cranes have served as a long standing symbol in Asian art. Signifying longevity and good fortune, they are the frontrunners of the design, flying towards the sun in the background. Cranes’ connection to longevity is in honor of the families who have built the foundation of the District for the decades. Cranes’ action of flying towards the sun represents social advancement, which connects to the diverse ways that the Asian District is growing. Due to their importance in Chinese history, peonies are also incorporated. They are a symbol of prosperity, tying to the District’s continued successes and the inner wealth one feels when they engage in community with others. While red irises are considered a healing flower for purifying negative energies, and cherry blossoms are emblematic of a time of renewal, these two flora round out the symbolic bouquet of botanicals incorporated in the design.

Each column features the national bird and/or flower of the 15 most populous Asian Countries.