The pandemic may not be over yet, but an array of Globe citizens has banded together in an initiative to bring some life and color back into the city.

Spearheaded by Dr. Thea Wilshire, who chairs the city’s Arts Advisory Commission, the I ART Globe initiative has plans for 12 public art projects in 12 months, ranging from outdoor murals to alley beautification, painting crosswalks and a Gila monster hunt in historic downtown Globe.

“It’s kind of like a quilt; a quilt of ideas, a quilt of funding sources, a quilt of different people, businesses and organizations coming together,” said Wilshire. “There are so many great ideas in the community, and all these different groups are thinking about public art projects. I thought, ‘What if we bring all these stakeholders together?’

“Then I started talking to the players that would be part of it – the Historic Preservation Commission, the Center for the Arts, the City – and together everyone said, ‘Yes; we’re on board.’ ”

A psychologist by training, Wilshire was impressed by art’s impact on preventing mental illness and decreasing depression, anxiety and suicide. “For everything that Covid has hit hard, art is an antidote. Art encourages new businesses and existing businesses to try new ventures, and increases community connection and vitalization of public spaces. Where Covid has been colorless and black-and-white, this is full of color and life. Where Covid has been death, this is vivacity.”

When she learned of a South Carolina town, Greenville, where bronze mice became a tourist draw, Wilshire was inspired to try the same in Globe with Gila monsters. However, the bronze reptiles proved costly at $5,600 each – so Wilshire looked into other materials. Then she found Joe Morgan and Morgan Reptile Replicas, of North Carolina, and ordered one Gila monster from his studio. “He is the country’s pre-eminent reptile maker,” said Wilshire. “Natural history museums use his stuff.”

I ART Globe is considering putting the Gila monster downtown, moving it between businesses where citizens can try and find it to win prizes; they also hope residents will give the monster a name.

We really want our art to be colorful, but we also want it to celebrate our history; history is such a great part of Globe.”

Other pieces of the quilt will include a chalk-a-thon, pet portraits to brighten the city’s dog park,

a project to repaint the teepee on Broad Street, the possible addition of a Globe timeline downtown, renovating historic stairways and a potential conversion of the alley behind Copper Hen Café into an outdoor plaza with art, tables and games. For this, I ART Globe drew on the talents of local artist Rachel Hansen, who also chairs the Historic Preservation Commission, for conceptual drawings of how that plaza might look. Wilshire said neighbors around the proposed project appeared very positive about its installation.