New Public Artwork Celebrates Firefighters’ Service at Scottsdale Fire Station 612

Scottsdale Arts has unveiled a new addition to the Scottsdale Public Art Permanent Collection: Wholeness, a site-specific work by Maria Salenger of Jones Studio, installed at Scottsdale Fire Station 612.

Created in weathering steel and designed with laser-cut imagery, Wholeness pays tribute to firefighters’ service in both urban and natural environments. The panels depict desert flora—mesquite, brittle bush, chaparral, and creosote—casting dynamic shadows across the patio and sidewalk as the sun shifts through the day and across seasons. Each panel represents half of a Maltese cross, a symbol of the firefighting profession, with the shadows completing the shape.

Salenger developed the project through conversations with firefighters, visits to the Hall of Flame Museum, and observations of the McDowell Mountain Preserve landscape near the station. “My favorite aspect is how the changing sunlight will create a living pattern of shadow, reflecting the duality of firefighters’ lives—between their personal families and the family they form at the station,” she said.

Fire Station 612, located at Hayden Road and Mayo Boulevard, sits at the edge of city and mountain terrain. The artwork reflects that intersection, highlighting both the environment and the culture of dedication, teamwork, and service that defines the fire department.

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