Entry No. 31 — the Phoenix file — filed under: public-art
One-Eyed Jack
A 26-foot-tall, 20,000-pound painted-steel jackrabbit sits on its haunches with one giant eye and both ears pointed skyward, installed in 2018 by Arizona State University alum John Randall Nelson right on the corner where Scottsdale's contemporary art galleries cluster.
The story
You’re strolling through Scottsdale’s pristine gallery district expecting bronze cowboys or muted desert landscapes, and instead you come eye-to-eye with a 10-ton, 26-foot-tall painted steel jackrabbit staring down Marshall Way. Installed in September 2018 at the intersection of Marshall Way and Indian School Road, One-Eyed Jack is the creation of Arizona State University alumnus John Randall Nelson. It stands as a stark white desert trickster planted right where Old Town’s contemporary art galleries cluster, serving as a bright, pop-surrealist sentinel for the neighborhood.
The sculpture carries a sharp, graphic sensibility that raised eyebrows among local traditionalists when it first landed on the corner. Nelson welded the 20,000-pound rabbit with both ears pointing straight up into the Arizona sky and a single stylized eye staring out from its profile. In southwestern lore, the jackrabbit is the quintessential symbol of trickery and survival; scaled up to three stories high, it anchors Scottsdale's public art collection with a distinctly odd, modern pulse.
What it's like
Visiting requires zero planning: the rabbit sits right on the public sidewalk at a busy Arts District crosswalk, open to the elements 24 hours a day. Standing directly under its haunches gives you a true sense of its 26-foot scale against the low-slung, sun-baked gallery buildings around it. It is an ideal, impossible-to-miss landmark to kick off a walkable gallery stroll down Marshall Way. Go around dusk, when the desert light drops and the stark white painted steel pops against the darkening sky.
The move: Meet under the jackrabbit's gaze, then gallery-hop Marshall Way's contemporary art row on foot — the sculpture doubles as an easy, unmistakable meeting spot and conversation starter before dinner in the Arts District.
- 📍 Old Town Scottsdale Arts District
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Marshall Way & Indian School Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Wonderspaces Arizona — Located just over half a mile away inside Scottsdale Fashion Square, this ticketed digital art venue makes a slick indoor continuation of your public art stroll.
- Cattle Track Arts Compound — Swap Old Town's polished, high-end gallery corner for a sprawling 11-acre working artist colony hidden two miles north.
- El Molino Mexican Cafe at the Scottsdale Elks Lodge (former POW Officers' Club) — Pair this modern public art stop with casual Mexican food served inside a surviving 1940s German POW officers' club building down in South Scottsdale.
- Hunt's Tomb — Follow up a giant white desert rabbit with another stark white monolith: a 1930s burial pyramid perched on a red-rock butte in nearby Papago Park.
Good to know
How much does it cost to see One-Eyed Jack?
It's completely free. The sculpture stands on a public sidewalk and is accessible 24/7.
Where is the sculpture located?
It is located on the corner of Marshall Way and Indian School Road in the Old Town Scottsdale Arts District.
How big and heavy is One-Eyed Jack?
The painted steel rabbit stands 26 feet tall and weighs 20,000 pounds (10 tons).
Who made the sculpture?
It was created by artist and ASU alum John Randall Nelson and installed in September 2018.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: fox10phoenix.com · phoenixnewtimes.com · Atlas Obscura
last checked: 2026-07-19