Mark Fleming just pointed out an article on page 47 of the November Zócalo magazine titled Ash Alley: Tucson's Greenwich Village by Steve Renzi.
After World War II, the article says, Tucson grew. New artists and craftspeople needed a place. The area around one-block Ash Alley came to include studios and an outdoor gallery. It even had its own newspaper, the Ash Alley Bugle. Two of the first newcomers to Ash Alley — and the last to leave, in 1977 — were Jack and Sally Petty. Outside Petty's Studio Gallery was a mural that included three smiling frogs.
On December 29, 2008, Randy posted a photo of the mural — but only a rough location. Five years later — January 21, 2014 — I posted another photo with the exact location. Along with this week's email about the Zócalo article, Mark sent along five photos of his own. The date stored along with the images says that he took them on November 9th.
First, the whole mural (what's left of it). Then, close-ups from left to right:
(I edited the second photo to lighten the shadow at top and darken the rest.) Many thanks, Mark!
After World War II, the article says, Tucson grew. New artists and craftspeople needed a place. The area around one-block Ash Alley came to include studios and an outdoor gallery. It even had its own newspaper, the Ash Alley Bugle. Two of the first newcomers to Ash Alley — and the last to leave, in 1977 — were Jack and Sally Petty. Outside Petty's Studio Gallery was a mural that included three smiling frogs.
On December 29, 2008, Randy posted a photo of the mural — but only a rough location. Five years later — January 21, 2014 — I posted another photo with the exact location. Along with this week's email about the Zócalo article, Mark sent along five photos of his own. The date stored along with the images says that he took them on November 9th.
First, the whole mural (what's left of it). Then, close-ups from left to right:
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2 comments:
Hi there, Debbie Zeller her, Tucson native and the person who is researching the history of the art organizations that contributed to the development of the Tucson Museum of Art. I took a little walk by the Petty's studio, and I sure wish the mural on the building could be restored. It's charming, and much nicer than most of the loud and attention-getting murals I see around town (not a fan of murals in general in the U.S.) It has become very sad and depressing to see what has happened to the downtown area over the past sixty years because I remember how lovely it was. It's pretty much lost its character, and once the heart of a downtown area is torn out, it cannot be fixed. So many truly beautiful buildings gone by way of the wrecking ball, and it's not progress when what replaces these structures isn't appropriate for the area. Yes, I am an arbiter of taste and culture, and my opinions are based on many years of observation and travel.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment, Debbie. I wish I had lived here 60 years ago to see the changes downtown! By the way, everyone, as Debbie wrote, this mural is still (barely) there.
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