Tammi Lynch-Forrest

The Desert’s Garden

The Desert’s Garden by Tammi Lynch-Forrest was created as part of the 2021–23 Scottsdale Civic Center renovations. 

Located near Scottsdale City Hall, this artwork combines thousands of hand-crafted mosaic tiles to depict flora and fauna of Scottsdale’s desert landscape. The canal, trail, and sidewalk represent the flow of time, while the beauty of desert plants and charming animals, native or introduced to the area, are shown throughout. The mosaic wall spans more than 40 feet in length.  

The hand-crafted tiles are made from high-fired clay and hand-mixed glazes. The entire process to create each hand-made tile takes approximately two weeks. Lynch-Forrest is an Arizona-based artist and installed all the mosaic tiles herself.  

Olive and desert ironwood trees, pima cotton, bougainvillea, citrus trees, poppies, violets, oleander, and yucca are all portrayed in the mosaic. The monarch butterfly, black cardinal, Anna’s hummingbird, Gambel’s quail, and western bluebird are shown as well.