Friday, May 16, 2014

Santa Cruz River at Eckstrom-Columbus library

When you walk into the branch library at 22nd & Columbus, this 59-foot-long mural is hard to miss:

Jim Waid did the work in 1977. You can read more on the library's website.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Maybe a mural, part 60: saw a door on S. Meyer


This door is covered with saw blades painted various colors.

A "mural" it's not. But it's fun flat art, so it fits in this occasional "maybe a mural" category.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Maybe a mural, part 59: screens on S. Meyer

Here's another example of "flat" art that you might not call a "mural". It's these creative window screens on the north side (along the alley) of 808 S. Meyer:

I snapped them on July 28, 2013.

Friday, May 09, 2014

Behind El Minuto

On August 15, 2012, I showed three photos of El Minuto, at 354 S. Main Avenue. But I missed the back (south) side. Here's a photo from July 28, 2013:

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Casa de las Flores

This long mural, titled (at the top-left corner) Casa de las Flores (House of the Flowers), is on the east side of Olsen south of 9th. It's just north of the first alley (as a homeowner told me, this part of the Sam Hughes neighborhood has long, narrow lots framed by two alleys, named "key lots"). The home's address is 2102 E. 9th Street. I found it on June 30th.

Monday, May 05, 2014

A radiator at Five Points Office

This mural is along the sidewalk. I found it on April 27th. (As always, you can click for a larger view.)

Update (August 4, 2020): I snapped this close-up of the credits:

Friday, May 02, 2014

Borton Community Garden

On June 28th I found Borton Community Garden, southeast of Borton Primary Magnet School, watched over by a big mosaic mural:

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Kindness covers tags

I saw this Ben's Bells mural June 28th on the side of a storage container behind — that is, northwest of — Allegra Print & Imaging. (The office address is 1300 S. Park, but container is just south of 23rd Street along the alley between Park and Tyndall.) I went inside to ask the story. The container had been tagged pretty badly, so students from the nearby Borton Magnet School painted the mural over the tags.

We'll see more from Borton Magnet School next time.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Ben's Bells at Starr Center

One of the series of “be kind” murals is on the west side of the Dr. M. Lee Starr Learning Center:

Here's a close-up of the bottom left corner:

I snapped the photos on June 27th.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Prickly (and peaceful) panel

Outside the garden wall around the home at 589 N. Plumer Avenue is this pleasant spot... with a bunch of our prickly friends standing by. (That address came from Google Maps; the spot, as you can see by clicking the street address, is at the southwest corner of 5th & Plumer. For some reason, the "Location:" box at the bottom of this article wouldn't accept the location.)

I was there on June 27th.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Sir Veza's on Wetmore

We've posted a couple of photos of the first Sir Veza's Taco Garage at Speedway & Swan. Here's one of their second (or third?) location: the south side of the building on Wetmore east of Oracle.

I was there on June 19th.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Arizona Daily Star article on Nogales mural

Thanks to a reader for pointing out today's article in the Arizona Daily Star, “Nogales mural a symbol of unity on a border that continues to galvanize artists,” by Mamta Popat. Don't miss the link near the top of the article to photos of the mural being painted (or click there).

I don't know the exact location of the mural on Buenos Aires, but here's a Google map that shows the street. If you visit the spot and can leave a comment below (or send me an email) telling us where it is, please do!

Friday, April 18, 2014

Maybe a mural, part 58: a gate on Glenn

This blog shows “flat” art. That includes uncommon things like paintings hung on a wall by the street — and things so common as desert scenes made from iron. The latter is so common that I usually don't show it anymore. This one was due an exception, I thought:

The fine mesh blurs the background and makes the art stand out more.

I took this photo on June 12th. The same photo is on today's entry in the Tucson Mailbox Art blog — which, if you haven't seen it, is worth a browse... it has a lot of art that's both fun and creative.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Monday, April 14, 2014

On the menu at Taco Giro

This elegant mural on the north end of the east wall gives a pretty good idea of what you'll find inside Taco Giro Mexican Grill:

I found it on June 7th.

Friday, April 11, 2014

It's (was?) a Fun World

Their website www.funworldchildcare.net isn't working today, so I wonder whether It's a Fun World is still open. But this is a blog about art, so let's see their 22nd Street location last June 3rd:

Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Alfonsa McKenna Luis Redondo Park

These murals are on the park's south wall, along the alley west of 5th Avenue between South 30th & 31st Streets, in South Tucson.

There are more photos in our May 2, 2016 entry.

Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Table of murals reorganized

Some of you have used the table of murals (from the murals page) to find a mural in a particular location around town. With something like 1,000 murals, the table wasn't easy to use.

I've reorganized the table by area of town. It looks like this:

The map shows the areas of Tucson, and a list at the left explains. Click on one of the areas in the list (not on the map) to see a list of murals in that area. (The page has more instructions.) Once you've found a mural in the list, click on it to see the mural right there in the window.

Here's the address: TucsonArt.info/murals/table.html.

I hope this new setup is handy for you. Now all I need to do is find time to update the table... I haven't added new murals to it since September, 2012. (Volunteer projects can't always get the time they need...)

Monday, April 07, 2014

South Tucson on 36th

This mural is across from 429 E. 36th, near Tucson Greyhound Park. I snapped the photo on June 1st.

Friday, April 04, 2014

Missed (at least) one more thing at Lineweaver

As you might've seen two years ago — on our April 6, 2012 post — there's some great art on the walls at Adah Lineweaver Elementary School. There was also a banner celebrating Lineweaver as one of Tucson's OMA (Opening Minds through the Arts) schools.

On May 28, 2013, I stopped by the school when I noticed that I hadn't photographed the wall art near the OMA banner. It's a stylized desert scene, painted in turquoise. Here's that photo:

Update (February 18, 2020): I discovered a photo of a mural in the middle of campus that I never added to this blog. I've edited it to brighten the mural, which was in shade:

Wednesday, April 02, 2014

More art around the corner

Monday we saw art along a corner lot — with the home address on one street and the art on another. Just by chance, the next mural I found on my May 20th ride was the same: a home on Geronimo Avenue but art along Kelso Street:

(As always, you can click on the photo for a larger view.)

Monday, March 31, 2014

Find it on Fontana

Homes on corner lots may have an address on one street, but have their art facing the second street. That's what I found last May 20 as I was riding up Fontana Street: The home officially at 302 E. Delano had a gorgeous garage and eclectic fence art along the wall that faced Fontana.

Friday, March 28, 2014

No respect for Primavera


When I drove by on May 11th, I didn't remember seeing these murals before at Primavera Preschool & Daycare. Nice and fresh, I thought...
Except the mural in back...

Taggers... sigh.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Maybe a mural, part 57: 4145 East Burns Street

Artistically-decorated homes often have more than one kind of art, as did this home. It has a mosaic-covered mailbox (which you can see by clicking there to view today's post on the Tucson Mailbox Art blog). And the front of the home is far from a full-blown mural, but it's artistically decorated:

I rolled through the neighborhood on May 26, 2013.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Spring 2013 at City High School

On May 4, I snapped a new Ben's Bells-style “be kind” mural outside the entrance to City High School:

Friday, March 21, 2014

Miles ELC: Murals being made, part 23

The evening of last May 4th, I was driving along Broadway and spotted a new mural on the west side of Miles Exploratory Learning Center, next to the parking lot. When I pulled up closer, I saw that it wasn't finished:

(That's a bit of sunset light on the top corners.)

If I weren't out of town now, I'd drive by and find what I hope is the finished mural. If you're in the area and could send me an up-to-date photo, I'll post it with thanks!

UPDATE (December 28, 2018): There's been a newer mural here for some while — since mid-2018, at least. It's in today's blog entry Miles ELC revisited (too late!).

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Joe Pagac makes a human mural at The Arts Speak

One of Tucson's best-known mural painters will be among 40+ artists tonight at The Tucson Museum of Art. Yesterday I read in a news blurb from the Museum that “Muralist Joe Pagac will be painting a human mural (actually painting on people!).”

There's much more happening. Here are the event details.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Amazing art at Ancient Art

Dennis Dwyer's Ancient Art Tattoo has been in Tucson since 1976, but their mural is new:
The artists were Emmanuel Aqirre, Xaviar Morales, Adrian Encines, Johnathan Black, and Daryl Hardy.

Thanks to Stephanie Myers for sending the photo!

Monday, March 17, 2014

Rialto revisited

After a time when it looked like Joe Pagac wouldn't be painting more concert murals on the northeast corner of the Rialto theatre, he seems to be back at it. (There's some background near the top of our January 1 page New on Toole in 2013 (and Happy 2014!).) When I rolled by on March 8th, I found two new murals for March:

Friday, March 14, 2014

Lost cactus near Lerua's

Thinking of green corn tamales? You might be thinking of Lerua's Restaurant. Thinking of cactus murals? Unless you were poking around Lerua's last April 30 (2013) — as one mural-hunting bicyclist was — you might not have seen these murals that are (maybe still) just east of the restaurant, on an abandoned section of building:

Monday, March 10, 2014

Desert scene on Calle de Madrid

Last April 25 (2013), I spent quite a bit of time in the art-filled neighborhood that includes this mural:

It's on the wall in front of the home at 250 S. Calle de Madrid (on the corner of Whittier).

Friday, March 07, 2014

Maybe a mural, part 56: Welcome to Brichta Neighborhood

A sign on a stone qualifies as “flat art,” but is it a mural?? That's the question I leave for you, dear viewer, as you look at works like this one I photographed on April 22, 2013:

The sign is on the northwest corner of Brichta & Silverbell.

Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Maybe a mural, part 55: Jacinto Park

OK, so I'm really stretching our (already lenient) definition of “mural” this time: a mural shaped like a sea serpent? Well, I didn't feel that this work could quite slither into the Public Art category of TucsonArt.info... so, why not call it a mural? Brilliant, ¿nó?

Whatever you think, I need to tell you that I took the photo on April 22, 2013.

Monday, March 03, 2014

¡One big chicken!


Check the size of this bird compared to the arch and the cactus. Maybe they should call this restaurant Pollo Gigante instead of Taco Giro?

(For some fun, have a look at this image search of Google México for pollo gigante.)

I spotted the mural on April 12, 2013.