Immerse

April 16, 2020

Art Makers Giving Back:
How artists and art studios are pivoting resources to give back to the medical community

Kirk Strawn, founder of Walter Productions, talks about Water Serpent during a Canal Convergence artist talk in November 2019.
Kirk Strawn, founder of Walter Productions, talks about Water Serpent during a Canal Convergence artist talk in November 2019.

If we had to pick a word that encompassed our lives in the past few months, it would be “pivot.” The way we all function, whether you are a lawyer, administrator, homemaker, retail worker, or anything but a hermit, we have all had to make a change in how we are living day to day in the era of COVID-19. Art makers are no different. In this blog post series titled Art Makers Giving Back, we will be focusing on how artists and art studios are pivoting their physical and creative resources to give back to the community during these difficult times. This inaugural post will feature our Canal Convergence fire performers and art community advocates, Walter Productions.

Scottsdale Public Art has commissioned Scottsdale-based Walter Productions to create unique and exciting public art installations for Canal Convergence over the past two years. The resulting artworks, Floatus in 2018 and Water Serpent in 2019, were among the most popular and well-received artworks we have presented to date. Each of these artworks were fabricated and assembled in their production facilities in Scottsdale and Phoenix. 

Now that we have entered these unprecedented times, Walter Productions has pivoted its resources from making art to making desperately needed medical supplies. The same laser cutters and 3D printers that created Floatus and Water Serpent are now making face shields for doctors and nurses across the Valley. Walter Productions is working with a dedicated group of makers in the Valley, the Arizona Science Center, and University of Arizona’s Catalyst Lab who have all been 3D printing face shield parts day and night for many weeks. Walter Productions is a member of an amazing team focused on the needs of front line healthcare workers.  Additionally Walter has been working with Burning Man’s Burners Without Borders to deliver PPE and sanitizer to the Navajo Nation. View the video below featuring Kirk Strawn, founder of Walter Productions and a medical doctor, to learn about all the amazing work they are doing.

Walter Productions creates personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.

Thank you, Walter Productions, and keep up the good work!

Check back in the following weeks to read about more artists doing amazing things to help the community and spread good vibes in these uncertain times through the next post in the series of Art Makers Giving Back.