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Photograph found on https://www.greetingstour.com/murals/tucson-az

What comes to mind when you think of Tucson? Maybe it’s the beautiful desert, the numerous local restaurants, or the sweltering heat—all things that have become synonymous with the city. For many, there is a fourth item that stands out—the murals. 

Scattered across the city, you can find a variety of stunning murals by local artists that celebrate the people and nature that call Tucson home.  

In this blog post, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite muralists and where you can find their amazing murals! Check out their Instagram for more of their work.

 

Joe Pagac (@joepagac)

Born and raised here in Tucson, Pagac is the brilliant artist behind a number of famous Tucson murals, including “Sky Islands (Whale Mural)” on Campbell and Grant, “Epic Rides” (pictured above) near Stone and Sixth, and “Roadrunner Cycling” on Fourth and Stone. See more of his work here.

 

Jessica Gonzales (@jessicagozalesart)

Gonzales, originally from Germany, is known for her bold colors, use of contrast, and portraits of women, often local. You can find her work “Frida” at the American Eat Company, “The Path Unpaved” at The Little One, and “Mural” at Hotel McCoy. 

 

Rock ‘‘CYFI’’ Martinez (@cyfione)

Martinez, based in Minneapolis with studios in Tucson and the Twin Cities, has seven commissioned works here in Tucson and is known for his larger-than-life style. Though famous for his murals, Martinez considers himself to be a graffiti artist at his core. “Goddess of Agave” (pictured above) can be found near the intersection of Sixth and Seventh, “A Dream of Sunday Afternoon in Menlo Park” featuring Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera is in the Mercado San Augustin barrio, and he contributed to the artwork in the letter “C” in the “Greetings from Tucson Mural” near Sixth and Sixth. 

 

Robbie Lee Harris (@blame_it_on_robb)

Harris (pictured above), an EMT by trade, partnered with Pagac to install the Black Lives Matter mural located on the side of the Rialto Theater in Downtown Tucson. “I wanted to put up something innocent enough that most people would wonder what the problem is in the first place,” Harris said in an interview with the Daily Wildcat. “I want somebody to walk around the corner and ask ‘Why is this young lady crying about equality? We have equality. We have justice.’ The overall goal that I want to reach is for that image to not make sense.” 

 

Lalo Cota (@lalocota)

Cota, a self-taught artist, is known for his art and murals depicting everything from Mexican folk art, to Chicano low-rider culture, and desert landscapes. “Exhale” (pictured above) can be found on the corner of Oracle and Prince, and “Corazón Saguaro” is near Speedway and Country Club. 

 

Who is your favorite Tucson muralist? Leave a comment below!  

 

The past year has been difficult for many industries here in Tucson, including our local arts community. But if we have learned anything from this experience, it is that our community comes together in times of crisis to support one another!  

What you may not realize is that the arts community affects many aspects of the framework of our society. As the Arts and Social Impact Explorer shows, art affects everything from Education and Youth Development, to Housing, Immigration, Economic Development, and a lot more. When art thrives, we all thrive! 

The artists in our community need your support now more than ever before. We have compiled a list of ways that you can support our local artists during these trying times. 

 

TYP Save our Venues Campaign

The TYP Board along with the Arts & Culture team are launching the Black Man Clay Memorial Fund in honor of late, legendary Tucson musician and father to TYP Board President Crystal Adams. Clarence “Black Man Clay” Adams was an inductee in Tucson’s Musician’s Museum and had a deep appreciation for Tucson’s live music scene.

Please donate what you can to the fund. All proceeds will be administered by TYP to support the foundations of beloved local live music and arts venues. There is a $500 match for all donations! Donate now!

 

Arizona Gives Day: April 6 

Arizona Gives Day makes it super easy to support the art nonprofits that you love and to explore new nonprofits you may have not heard of before. Since it launched in 2013, the event has raised $23 million dollars for nonprofits in Arizona, with 6.1 million of that raised in 2020 alone! Though the one-day event is on April 6, they are starting fundraising now. You can also donate year-round on their website.

A few of our local favorites include Ballet Tucson, Groundworks, The Rogue Theater – but there are so many more to explore and help! 

 

Buy an album on Bandcamp 

Bandcamp is a platform dedicated to paying artists fairly. When you purchase music on Bandcamp, 80% of your money goes directly to the artists, and the platform pays daily! According to their website, fans have paid $21.5 million in the past 30 days alone. This is a great way to directly support our music industry and explore new local artists. Visit the site here.

Be sure to check out our Spotify playlist of local artists, and choose a few of your favs to support! Plus, coming up on Friday, April 2, Bandcamp is waiving its revenue shares and giving all sales made that day directly to the artists. 

 

Troubadour Thursdays 

Live music? Good food? Sounds amazing to us! Every Thursday in April, the Fox Tucson Theatre is hosting a troubadour-style presentation of musicians who will wander through downtown and visit a variety of outdoor dining locations. This is a great way to support our local musicians and our favorite downtown restaurants. Though the events are free, you can support the music through an online donation.

 

Museums 

We recently shared a blog post on some great local museums that have virtual exhibits for you to explore from the comfort of your home. While these virtual experiences are free, consider donating to the museums through their website so that they can continue to offer both virtual exhibits now and in-person exhibits in the future! 

 

Theater

There are still theater productions running, both in-person and online. Check out just a few of our amazing local theater companies to see what they have to offer!

The Rogue Theater

Arizona Theater Company

The Gaslight Theater

Laff’s Comedy Club

 

When you live in the desert, it is important to take advantage of cooler weather when it comes around! With winter temperatures in the 70s, it is the perfect time to enjoy all that Tucson has to offer. 

We’ve put together a list of a few of our favorite things to do outdoors during the Tucson winter so that you can make the most of the next few months—all while staying socially-distanced, of course!  

 

 

Tucson Botanical Gardens 

Coined as “the best secret garden in America” according to Reader’s Digest, Tucson Botanical Gardens is home to 17 distinct gardens, each of which highlights the beauty and diversity of our native plants. If you would rather experience the gardens from your own home, they are currently offering a number of online classes over Zoom. From art workshops to cooking classes, to gardening tips, they have something for everyone to enjoy! 

 

El Toro Flicks 

What better way to enjoy a mild winter evening than to watch a movie under the stars! Open weekly from Thursday to Sunday, both locations in Tucson and Oro Valley show a variety of new movies and classic favorites. 

 

 

 

Saturday Brunch in the Plaza! 

Hosted by Reforma Modern Mexican, Union Public House, and Proof Artisanal Pizza & Pasta, this weekly outdoor event is perfect for anyone who loves brunch. Get ready for some great live music and bottomless mimosas! 

 

 

Arizona Arts Live 

Live music is hard to come by these days, but Arizona Arts Live has found innovative ways to keep the party going! In addition to offering a number of online shows that you can watch from the comfort of your couch, select shows will take place in outdoor venues with special precautions in place, like providing each party with a personal, physically distanced 6-foot circle around their chairs. 

 

 

10 Great Tucson Area Hikes from Visit Tucson

One of the best ways to get to know Tucson and the surrounding area is to go on a hike! With five mountain ranges and a national park, there is a lot of nature to explore. Visit Tucson has put together this great list of hikes with varying levels of difficulty.  

 

 

Have a favorite Tucson activity that isn’t on the list? Leave us a comment! 

With so many local attractions temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be hard to come up with fun ways to pass the time while doing everything from home!

If there is one thing that we have learned from this experience, it is that COVID-19 has forced us all to adapt in one way or another. For many of our local museums, this process of adapting has taken the form of the creation of virtual exhibit experiences. Now, you can virtually “walk” through amazing art, history, and culture exhibits without getting up off the couch.

Next time you find yourself bored with nothing to do, check out one of virtual museum experiences from the list we have compiled below. Have a favorite museum or exhibit that isn’t listed? Leave us a comment and tell us about it!

Arizona State Museum

The Arizona State Museum at the University of Arizona currently has a number of online experiences, including exhibits on Hopi Katsina dolls, handaxes from the Stone Age, portraits by native youth, and more. Virtual Reality experiences are also available so that you can explore the Pottery Project Exhibit, the Pottery Vault, an exhibit on Native American basketry and fiber art, and more.

https://statemuseum.arizona.edu/onviewonlineondemand

Pima Air & Space Museum

The Pima Air and Space Museum has compiled over 100 panoramic views of their exhibits, including their Main Hangar, Space Gallery, and Hangers 3 and 4. They have even developed a Google Maps experience so that you can explore their collection of outdoor planes for free.

https://pimaair.trytn.press/visit/exhibits-virtual-tours/

The University of Arizona Museum of Art

A number of exhibits at the University of Arizona Museum of Art have been built into virtual experiences, including their Contemporary Art Gallery, Modern Art Gallery, and even a collection from a variety of Southern Arizona artists in response to 2020 and how the year shifted the lives of those in our community. As always, you can also explore the museum’s Archive of Visual Arts, which includes collections from Robert McCall, Sara Wallach, and Frances O’Brien.

https://artmuseum.arizona.edu/ava

GROUNDWORKS

GROUNDWORKS, a local non-profit dedicated to showcasing the work of young artists and musicians, developed this virtual tour of the new space as part of their September 2020 Virtual Grand Opening. The current featured show is called “Prints:” A Pop Up Shop, which features limited-edition prints from over a dozen young artists.

https://www.groundworkstucson.com/virtual-tour

Pidgin Palace Arts

Located in the BRINK Foundation’s Tucson headquarters, Pidgin Palace Arts is described as “a contemporary art gallery and pan-generational media lab, a space for humane connectivity, a place to develop and create concepts to fight the algorithms.” Virtual guests are invited to explore around the virtual landscape, which includes artwork from several artists and discourse on various current events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the current political landscape.

https://pidginpalacearts.com/

 

Tucson is home to a wide variety of incredible bands, musicians, and singer/songwriters from a number of genres—from Acoustic to Rock to Country and everything in between! Many of these artists take inspiration from the desert landscapes we call home.

We’ve compiled a playlist on Spotify of some of our favorite Tucson artists and songs we think you should check out. Feel free to save it to your Spotify account and share with your friends!

While most in-person concerts and events are on hold right now, streaming local music is a great way to learn about the artists in our community and keep up with their new releases. However, to really support your favorites artists please follow them on social media and purchase their music on platforms like Bandcamp or one of our many local record shops. Hopefully this playlist will inspire you to learn more about these artists, check out their merchandise, and keep an eye out for their performances once concerts are happening again.

Have a favorite song or artist not on this playlist? Leave a comment with your recommendation and we will add it! This playlist will grow and change over time, so make sure to check in regularly to find new songs!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PLAYLIST

With the holidays rapidly approaching, you may be like us—frantically searching for the perfect gifts for friends and family. Luckily, Tucson has tons of great gift options that are sure to delight everyone on your list.

In a year that has negatively affected so many Tucson businesses, it has never been more important to shop local! Your support this holiday season can help ensure that your favorite local businesses are able to keep their doors open during this tough time. Luckily, it has never been easier to shop local—many businesses and events have developed new online storefronts so that you can shop from the comfort of your own home. 

A way to help our community and delight your loved ones with awesome gifts at the same time? Sounds like a win-win situation to us! 

We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite shops, events, and websites—both in-person and virtual—for you to check out this holiday season.  

Cultivate Tucson 

Previously a one-day occasion, Cultivate Tucson’s 2020 Pop Up! Shop has blossomed into a multi-week event, both in-person at the Mercado San Agustin Annex and online. Shoppers can browse an incredible selection of artisan goods from local designers, artists, makers, and small businesses. While you are welcome to stop by during the shop hours, private shopping appointments are available as well as local pick-up spots for online shoppers. Learn more. 

Blax Friday 

The Blax Friday website was developed earlier this year to promote black-owned business in Arizona across all industries. Their Holla-Day Shopping guide is filled with tons of great gifts and other holiday treats, such as delivered holiday meals and desserts. As an added bonus, customers can receive additional promotions by showing their receipts from local black-owned businesses to Blax Friday’s community partners, which include Hotel Congress, Hotel McCoy, Why I Love Where I Live, and more. Learn more. 

Shop Arizona Marketplace 

The online Shop Arizona Marketplace was developed by Local First Arizona, a non-profit that supports and promotes local and independently owned business in the state. New products are being added all the time! Shoppers can view item collections that span across a number of businesses or visit shops specific to each business. There is even the ability to create a gift registry! Learn more. 

Pop Cycle 

Located on 4th Avenue, Pop Cycle is a gift shop with the goal of promoting local art made from recycled materials, re-used products and refurbished goods. They currently have an assortment of items from over 90 local artists. While their brick-and-mortar location is currently open, they are also offering curbside pickup and local doorstep delivery in Tucson! Learn more.

Mercado San Agustin 

Located just west of the city center, the Mercado San Augustin is home to a variety of local shops, markets and restaurants. While you are there, check out the MSA Annex, an extension of the Mercado where shops and eateries are uniquely housed inside modified shipping containers. Learn more.

Cero 

Cero, a local zero-waste shop, has developed a free recycling program for a variety of items including gift-wrapping materials! Be kind to the earth and drop off your gently used boxes and packing materials, or stop by to pick up your packing, shipping, and wrapping needs. Learn more. 

Note: TYP members get a special perk at Cero. Login to the TYP Perks+ directory to take advantage.

Have a favorite spot that isn’t on this list? Be sure to leave a comment!