VIDEO First Look: Tucson’s new 20‑foot 'Dodger the Coyote' statue pops up on Grant Road

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A new landmark has arrived at the southeast corner of Grant Road and Dodge Boulevard: Dodger the Coyote, a large, stylized red sculpture by local artist Joseph O’Connell (Creative Machines), now installed in the site’s flood‑retention basin as part of the Grant Road Phase 3–4 improvements.

VIDEO: I was at the statue today as crews worked nearby - watch vid below:

Towering and unmistakable from the roadway, Dodger is a bold, playful take on the desert’s most persistent urban visitor. O’Connell said the work “reflects the personality of a coyote as we experience it in Tucson. There’s a sense of playfulness, but also awareness and independence. It feels like an animal that is always thinking, always moving, always just slightly out of reach. Its position looks almost ‘ready to pounce’ so there’s a little bit of mischief in it, which felt right.”

O'Connell added that, as a Tucson‑based studio, contributing work to the place where he lives and works is “deeply personal,” and that placing Dodger along Grant Road means “thousands of people will encounter it as part of their daily routines.”

The sculpture doubles as public art and place‑making for a flood‑control basin built to capture storm runoff during Tucson’s monsoon season. City planners and community members say these basins can function as pocket parks and urban landmarks as well as infrastructure — and Dodger certainly gives this one character. The coyote stands roughly 20 feet tall and is painted a vivid red, making it visible to drivers and pedestrians alike.

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O’Connell founded Creative Machines in Tucson; the studio is known for site‑responsive public art, lighting installations, interactive sculptures and large‑scale fabrication. Dodger joins a body of work by O’Connell and Creative Machines that has become part of Tucson’s public‑art landscape.

The sculpture sits inside a flood retention basin. Visitors should note posted signage and exercise caution, especially during heavy rain or monsoon season. Because Dodger is placed where it’s highly visible from Grant Road, it’s easy to see without entering the basin, which is still being worked on.