Have you ever ventured towards the Marroney Theatre and glanced at the ten bronze chairs that sit along the Path of Excellence? Who built them and why? Find out with me, Pascal Albright, in this UA Minute in History.

Finished in 1999 by UA alumna Barbara Grygutis, the installation is called Front Row Center. Located in the Fine Arts Oasis on Park and Speedway, the chairs are meant to reflect their desert environment and provide preshow seating for the Marroney Theatre. They were commissioned as part of the UA Percent for Arts program. 

The artist is known around North America for her public sculptures and has created over 75 large-scale artworks, but the Tucsonan is also behind many recognizable pieces in this desert town, including the metal sculptures on the Kino Parkway bridge. 

Grygutis also hand-decorated these blue-tile benches that are adjacent to the chairs, to invite audience members to sit and relax before enjoying the show.

I’m Pascal Albright, and this has been another UA Minute in History.

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