“Emotion” is one of the three life -size figurative Sources of Play sculptures by Thomas Strich. This figure stands on the right side of the stage at the northern edge of the North Tempe Multi-Generational Center (NTMGC) in Tempe, Arizona. Each of the Sources of Play stands on a plinth incorporated into the bench that spans the back wall of the stage. The water-carrier figures face towards the pathway to the Center. The water element is made of stainless steel.
The Sources of Play is one of several public art features at the NTMGC. The collection of public art features together comprise Play Like a River, the public art component of the NTMGC. Each figure is tied to color coded elements embedded in the concrete path central to Play Like a River. Tom worked on a design team with Michael Kelly, lead architect, and Ruben Valenzuela, landscape architect, to create a municipal facility where the public art elements are threaded through and well integrated with the final site. The North Tempe Multi-Generational Center went on to win a Valley Forward Crescordia Award in 2006 and Valley Forward Award of Merit in 2007.