POWER’S OUT celebrates the 7th anniversary of The Danelle Project while reminding Tempe the culture it is at risk of losing

Power's Out event posters displayed on the door of the former Rocket a Go-Go storefront in Tempe, AZ on January 31, 2025. Photographed by Syd Schwartz.

The Danelle Plaza, an outdoor business district located on the southwest corner of Southern Ave. and Mill Ave. in Tempe, has become a staple in the DIY, Punk and art communities and, like many older buildings across the Valley, is on its way to redevelopment. However, dedicated supporters, store owners and patrons are working overtime to preserve the historic plaza and the small businesses and colorful artistic expressions that call it home.

With a lucky anniversary coming up, local DIY venue The Coven Phoenix and grass roots outreach program The Danelle Project collaborated to hold a pop-up show on January’s Final Friday to help raise funds for the shops’ rent in an effort to give the city fewer reasons to try and push them out.

The inspiration for the name of the event came from “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” by ARCADE FIRE, as “it weaved in with the purpose and history behind the event and the concepts of mutual aid and coming together as a community,” The Coven Phoenix founder Briannin Gross shared. “Especially the lyrics, ‘when the power’s out / in the heart of man / put it in your hand.”

“The music video also ends with a bunch of little dudes beating up a big 1800s-esque looking CEO guy who stole the power from their town and by beating him up, they returned it.” Gross adds. “That kinda parallels what the art community feels like it’s going through with the City of Tempe threats and suppressing art, music and DIY in general.”

The pop-up show featured a variety of one-of-a-kind art from local artists, and live music and paintings guests could enjoy while browsing the aisles or learning more about upcoming events and other local organizations’ projects at the self-promotion table in the center of the room.

Outside, the parking lot (that has, admittedly, seen much better days) was alive with the buzz of mingling and tattoo guns, because nothing is more punk than getting a flash tattoo in the name of historic and artistic preservation.

The building and storefronts on the south side of the plaza featured a drive-thru art experience. Viewers could tune into a station on the radio to listen to the “Mnrl Cult Radio Hour” hosted by CHRISTINA MADCAP and NXOEED while they drove around the building to explore the bold and emotional art from over 40 artists in celebration of The Danelle Project’s seventh anniversary.

“It’s [POWER’S OUT] all just about community and collaboration.” Gross shared the night before, during vendor set up hours.

From start to finish, the energy in the room was rich and intoxicating. Excitement about supporting local artists, musicians and organizations, and the idea of different scenes coming together to celebrate those who make Danelle Plaza unique and working toward the preservation of its place in the community made for an engaging and successful event.

But, why, exactly, is the Danelle Plaza so beloved?

Built in the 1960s as an alternative to the “outdated” downtown area in Tempe, it has served as a home to dozens of restaurants, bars and retail shops. It even housed the Tempe City Hall and Municipal Complex from 1969 to 1971 while new government builds were underway. Between operating as a lively downtown staple and fostering community growth, it truly became a catch-all resource for the community’s wants and needs.

One of the most unique aspects of the plaza is the ownership system that allowed business owners the opportunity to purchase the land plot directly under their building, giving the entire area a more communal feel and living up to its marketing as being a business district rather than a strip mall. While this democratic model has brought its challenges to managing the plaza, it has also provided the business owners with the freedom to turn their spaces into whatever they believe the community could benefit from.

In the last decade plus, the plaza has become a significant place in the heart of the community, acting as a social ground for the DIY scene with staples like Yucca Taproom and fostering bold creative expression with large murals all over (and even within) buildings and storefronts. As beloved as it has become, it has also begun to deteriorate, catching the city’s attention as an area needing "rejuvenation." As a result, The City of Tempe entered an agreement with the plaza’s two primary private owners, Guiana Affiliated Development and Desert Viking Development, to redevelop the property last February.

While there is currently no demolition of the buildings scheduled, the art murals are being removed, and the city has provided their artists with two relocation options: storage within a Danelle Plaza building, or the opportunity to be displayed on an Apache Blvd. building. The agreement commits the city and developers to create public spaces that include the art that has been created on removable panels on the original central building, as well as working with Yucca Taproom to create an accessible park with an outdoor performance space, but there is also room in the agreement for residential and workforce expansions to ensure they are providing the community with the uses they need and want.

As of an update provided by The City of Tempe on January 23, 2025, there is still work to be done and a great deal of time and money to be invested in the rejuvenation of the plaza, in addition to the development of a tangible plan from the developers. Once created, the plan must go through the city public involvement process to proceed, which includes commission, City Council and neighborhood meetings, giving the community another chance to speak directly with the city and development companies and advocate for the preservation of Danelle Plaza.

Despite the event intending to be more for support of the community and collaboration of local artists, POWER’S OUT raised $150 from NATALIA L ÓPEZ’ live painting auction and $130 from entry bucket donations, all of which went to ThereSpace as they were unable to attend the event due to fighting their own DIY venue closure. Additionally, a lot of vendors were able to sell massive amounts of their stock, further supporting the local art scene.

“What we do have, is the community we have built here,” Danelle Project member Haylee Mills shared during a thank-you address from the event organizers at the end of the night. “No matter where we get pushed to, we have each other.”

POWER’S OUT Pop-Up Artists and Performers: