There’s a little-known public art piece called Aguacito that was recently relocated to the demonstration garden located at Utilities on Motel Blvd from the outskirts of town on the West side. I didn’t know much about this piece, so this was a good opportunity to learn. Sure enough, the story is a good one and so close to home.
In 2018, Utilities was tasked with landscaping a new median near Love’s Truck Stop on the west side of the city. The request was for water smart materials to be used. Rhonda Diaz, Water Conservation Program Coordinator at Utilities, thought a sculpture of a roadrunner (inspired by the large one at the rest stop) would add a nice touch to the xeriscape of the median. She contracted with a local business, Trophy Country, to create an original art piece inspired by a picture she found of a roadrunner. They delivered exactly what she wanted.
The next step was naming the sculpture. Utilities asked school children to submit names choosing Aguacito submitted by Hillrise Elementary 4th and 5th grade students. The classes received a pizza party and credit on a plaque that was installed near the sculpture.
All this time Rhonda did not know who the artist was, but she was curious since the artist should also receive credit. Rhonda had a picture of the sculpture in her office. A co-worker saw it and said, “I know the guy who did that.” He told Rhonda “the guy” was a welder who also worked in Utilities. He also worked in the same building as Rhonda; Gas Safety and Training Instructor, Ruben Garcia. “I was speechless to say the least,” laughs Rhonda.
“I’m not sure I even knew what that piece was for,” recalls Ruben, laughing. Thinking back on how he got started making metal art, he says, “I fell in love with welding things in high school. I got certified at Dona Ana Community College and worked as a welder for many years.” Even though welding was his job, Ruben still worked in his home shop on projects that were a little more creative. “I make things from wall art to custom doors,” he said. “My wife Amy is very creative and gives me lots of great ideas.” He credits Amy’s grandmother with getting him started on using a plasma cutter. “I made tables for her in trade for the plasma cutter. She wasn’t using it.” Amy’s family were the owners of Trophy Country, which is no longer in business.
Projects by Ruben –
“It’s very relaxing to make things,” explains Ruben. He also appreciates the value of art as a healing force. He tells the story of a neighborhood girl whose dad had passed away unexpectedly. “You could tell this little girl was suffering from the loss, and I felt so bad for her.” He invited her to come into his workshop where he had her put her hand on a piece of metal, outlined it, and cut it out with her signature on it. He called it A Memory That Can’t Be Broken and gave it to her as a gift. “I think that helped her a little, and it inspired me to make the same with my family.”
Ruben’s creative talents recently helped his daughter with her new business venture by converting a small RV camper into a mobile lemonade stand. “We found the camper and used this small model as the inspiration for the design. It was a team effort that worked out well.” The bright yellow and white lemonade stand can be found at most outdoor events around town.
There is an art exhibit in City Hall called After Hours that showcases art created by city staff like Ruben, who do such great creative work outside their day-to-day work life. Ruben has not submitted a piece of art for the exhibit – yet – but we do have Aguacito that is on permanent display in the demo garden at Utilities on Motel Blvd. Visit Aguacito anytime and maybe you’ll meet the Gas guy, who just happens to be the artist who made him.
