Three Blacktail Jackrabbits, Tempe, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

Three Blacktail Jackrabbits is a public sculpture group in Tempe, Arizona, by sculptor Mark Rossi. It is made up of three cast bronze rabbits of different sizes, the largest 14 feet high. It sits at 111 S Maple Ave and gives a playful, desert-themed stop for anyone exploring Tempe on foot.

The story behind it

Mark Rossi made the three rabbits in cast bronze, at 8, 12 and 14 feet high. Each weighs somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 pounds, so these are hefty pieces of metal, not decorative figurines. The blacktail jackrabbit is a long-eared hare of the American Southwest, which makes it a fitting subject for a city in the Sonoran Desert.

Rossi grew up with parents trained in the fine arts and has made art for most of his life. Much of his work shows animals and nature, inspired by years living at the base of the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. His projects have appeared in museums, zoos, corporate collections and universities.

What to look for

• Compare the three sizes side by side: the rabbits step up from 8 to 12 to 14 feet, so the group reads almost like a family portrait.
• Look closely at the bronze surface, where the casting gives the fur and body a textured, hand-worked finish.
• Notice the long ears and the strong hind legs that mark a jackrabbit out from an ordinary rabbit.
• Stand back and then walk right up to the base, because the scale feels very different from a distance than it does beside the largest figure.

Tips for your visit

• Plan on 10 to 15 minutes for the sculptures themselves, longer if you want photos from several angles.
• Tempe gets very hot in summer, so early morning or evening is the most comfortable time to linger outdoors, and it is worth carrying water.
• This is public art on a city street, so you can look at it from outside without going into a building. Check the current situation on site if you plan a special visit.
• Combine it with a longer walk through the surrounding streets, since the sculptures are best enjoyed as one stop among several in Tempe.

See it on a quest

Highlights of Tempe: The Troll of Tempe Town Lake is a good way to meet the jackrabbits as part of a wider walk through Tempe. You reach the sculptures on foot as one stop on the route, the app tells you about the place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Tempe suits you if you prefer a darker, mystery-flavoured evening walk. You travel between places on foot, hear about each one as you reach it, and work out a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.