TPAC Honors our Friend, Bob Peterson
(1945 – 2008)

Bob Peterson visiting summer 2007 Pima Association of Government’s (PAG) Youth Art Program Studio.  Art work by the Brenda Semanick and the youth participants.

Bob Peterson   Principal Planner, City of Tucson, Department of Transportation

The staff of the Tucson Pima Arts Council had an amazing team mate in Bob. His investment in the arts extended beyond his work hours and he became a strong and vital member of our overall arts community.  Who better to honor Bob than the artists that were his friends and colleagues?  We could have filled a hundred pages with great memories and special prayers, but time and space are against us, so here are just a few musings.

“I first worked with Bob Peterson when he was coordinating the Eddie Dominguez mural in the early 90's. He was troubleshooting this innovative design, trying to make it work both for the artist and with the powers that be. Then later he worked at the Tucson House, working his magic over there; then the train depot subsequently. Finally, I worked with him with the Warehouse District Masterplan. He interfaced with any number of artists trying fit the needs of his city office with the needs of the artists. It was difficult work and all of us were learning as we went along. When things became difficult, he knew how to lighten up the moment which made all of us step back from the problem for a second look at the situation. “

“Not everyone has that skill, but Bob had that skill. He collected art and was always considering where to make the best purchase and where it might be placed in his apartment. I always looked at how he dressed thinking that that was an area that I needed to work on for myself. He had two sons who have lives very different than his, but he admired and loved them and was willing to talk about their adventures at the drop of a hat. His smile and quiet manner revealed a man who was processing the needs of the moment, always looking for solutions that all concerned might benefit. Most of all, he was always ready to laugh and enjoy the moment. That's what I learned from Bob Peterson, and, that's what I'll miss the most.”     
David Aguirre – Visual Artist, Executive Director of Dinnerware Community Arts Space 

“Yesterday morning I attended the memorial service for Bob Peterson.  The eulogy given by Bob's sister shared many things I did not know about Bob's life.  I didn't know that he played the organ and that he loved to sing.  I did not know that he loved to garden.  I regret that I didn’t know this.  I love to garden too and I am sorry that we did not talk about this shared pastime.   In the 10 to 15 years that I knew Bob, what we did talk about was art; art and its place in our lives and in our community.  Whether we met at a committee table, on a public art project, or ran into each other at a gallery opening it was always a pleasure to see Bob and his smile.   He was kind and cheerful, respectful and courteous.  He sought to include people, find solutions, and build community.  You could count on that.  When you look around Tucson, appreciate and enjoy the public artworks that contribute to our quality of life; that project our values to visitors and root us in our own vernacular, thank Bob.  He had a great deal to do with it.” 
Susan Gamble    Visual Artist, Santa Theresa Tile Works, Warehouse Arts Management Organization (WAMO)

"Bob Peterson’s love of community and for everything beautiful found its natural expression in his enthusiastic advocacy for public art. He was well-loved by numerous artists like myself working on public commissions for the City of Tucson.  He shared our faith that public art and good urban design can truly make a positive difference in the lives of city-dwellers. He could identify the intent of an artist’s vision and would enter joyously into the process easing bureaucratic hurdles that we encountered in making art for public places. Bob was fair and compassionate when administering artists’ contracts, he regularly fostered communications between artists and the public, and he has even been known to pitch in during an art installation with help in laying brick or grouting tile. We will miss his buoyant optimism, keen sense of fair play, and big smile. "
Melody Peters    Sculptor and Designer

“Bob Peterson’s commitment to public art in our community helped strengthen and stabilize the City’s public art program. His enthusiasm for a wide variety of aesthetic treatments, respect for artists’ imaginative and technical abilities, and his own ability to help artists maneuver through the often complex administrative aspects of public art added great value to Tucson’s collection”

“Bob functioned as a very effective interface between the Tucson Pima Arts Council, artists, and multiple project managers within the Transportation Department, smoothing the workload for all. Bob’s willingness and determination to include artwork as a unique component of every TDOT improvement resulted in an artist presence in projects big and small. His attention to detail and willingness to support best practices from the artist, arts administrator, and governmental perspectives are reflected in Tucson’s Public Art Directive. Bob will be missed as a coworker and dear friend.”
Mary Ellen Wooten      TPAC Public Art Program Manager
 

We shall be notes in that great Symphony
Whose cadence circles through the rhythmic spheres,
And all the live World’s throbbing heart shall be
One with our heart, the stealthy creeping years
Have lost their terrors now, we shall not die,
The Universe itself shall be our Immortality!
                                          Oscar Wilde    (excerpt from) PANTHEA 1890