Tucson has become famous nationally for the spectacular, super-size murals around the city. Commissioned by the City of Tucson, the huge ‘Forget Me Not’ mural on the side of the Hotel Lewis downtown is among the better-known ones. It is easy to find because it is on Broadway Blvd., which is one of the main streets downtown, at Arizona Ave.
Around the corner down the narrow alley-like Arizona Ave. at 12th, is a lesser-known mural that deserves some attention. I haven’t been able to learn either the name of the artist or the name of this artwork but here it is. If someone knows the artist’s name please let me know. I checked on Google and this mural wasn’t there a few months ago and it appears to be new so perhaps it is one of the Black Lives Matter murals that have been painted in recent months by artist Danny Martin.
As I drove around some of the narrower side streets just south of downtown, I spied a sculpture in brilliant orange about a block away on tree-lined Scott Ave.
Scott is lined with Palo Verde and Mesquite trees. PLUS on one corner is Toby the orange Dragon. And I have the names of the makers who created Toby back in 2009.
Tucson has been a center/hub/magnet for artists of all types for decades. The city government actively supports public art with grants to fund the artworks. Because of Covid-19 almost every public festival and special event for 2020 has been cancelled so photographing public art is now high on my list of things to do. You can also see a Gila Monster that loves Ice cream and the really famous Godess of the Agave.
Before you leave today, sign up for my free blog and see Tucson through the eyes of a newcomer to the city. There’s a lot more here than sunsets and saguaros.
