Sunny bench in South Tucson

I spotted this sunny bench on the sidewalk in front of Jeff's Auto Parts, 2412 S. 4th Avenue in South Tucson, on January 16.

Fourth Avenue arches

This isn't about the McDonald's on South 6th Avenue (here and here). A bit north and east are other welcoming arches you'll see — ten blocks after you enter the city of South Tucson from the north side — on 4th Avenue just north of 38th Street:

(As always, you can click for a larger view of a photo — and use your browser's "Back" button to come back.) Here's a detail from one of the arches:

Leader Public Auction

The front of Leader Public Auction, 2626 S. 4th Avenue, is a 3-D desert mural.

Southside Community School

These photos are from January 16 around the campus at 2701 South Campbell.

This first mural, painted under a ramada, is large and full of detail:

A mosaic mural in the center of the basketball court...

...and another (partly destroyed — the day I visited, at least) behind the bleachers:

And last: This school sign by the parking lot entrance was far away, fenced-off on the Sunday I was there. I used a zoom lens to snap it:

Springtime in January

This sunny mural is behind a tree that tells the true story: it was January (2011) in Tucson. I snapped the photo with a zoom lens from a walkway between two fences in the back yard of Tucson Nursery School & Child Care Center, 2385 S. Plumer.

Before Columbus

This Columbus Day post is from the artist Aurore Chabo, her piece Cellular Synchronicity (7 parts) on the east side of Marley Building, 1145 E 4th. It's made of tile with embedded creatures from the College of Agriculture,Entymology, and Plant Sciences. She took objects that researchers were working on and cast them into tile. This is one of many outstanding murals and sculpture at the University of Arizona.

Jefferson Park Elementary

I took these photos over the fence, on January 6, from Warren Avenue between Hampton and Seneca. (Here's a map.) The school closed in 2010, but a recent news article (September 29, 2011) in the AZ Daily Star says it may be leased to the International School of Tucson. Let's hope the murals can stay!

Space exploration

Let's get back to the archives: January 4th, 2011. The theme of both of the mosaic murals comes from the title on the second one below. They line the bridge on Stella Road, just east of Lakeside Ridge Loop, south of Chuck Ford-Lakeside Park. The first one is on the northeast side, and the second is on the northwest:


A Google map shows GPS coordinates of 32.184583,-110.815989 and guesstimates the address as 8231-8273 East Stella Rd. (there are no houses along this part of Stella Road).

Tired of looking at murals?

After you've checked out what seems like miles of murals around the former Farmer John's at 1102 W. Grant Road, you can get a different experience Thursday-Sunday through the end of October:

Welcome! Come inside and soon murals will be the last thing on your mind. At least, that's the promise on the website for The Slaughter House, Tucson's non-profit (big) shop of horrors:

Enough already? Let's get back to the murals. (Aaaaaahhhhhh.) These photos are from the end of 2010, by the way:






There are more photos in Randy's post from January 3, 2008.

Too late, but not quite

I've been riding by Skrappys as long as it was in its current home on Toole. I've taken shots of the the building just across the street by moonlight. So how did I miss the building set a bit farther back off of Toole (farther off the southbound lanes of this tilted street)? I spotted the former Gloo Factory (Ink.), with an overgrown yard in front, at 106 E. Toole, on August 28, 2011:

The sign tells where I should look for more murals:

(If you get to 238 E. 26th Street first and find new mural(s), please let us know! Please add a comment below or send me a photo to share.)

Update (October 16, 2012): Here's the new location.

Skrappys again reinvents its front wall (again)

Before we get back to the archives, here's another recent mural photo. It’s the front wall of the Tucson Youth Collective, also known as Skrappys (with no apostrophe-s, as far as I can tell; it's not Skrappy’s), three weeks ago, September 17:

You can also check out another version of this same scene in October, 2010.

Whatever it’s called, the walls all around this building at 191 E. Toole are covered with fun murals. Stop by if you haven't before! (Or, for an armchair preview, look for 191-197 Toole in Layers of murals: histories of a few walls.)

Not a mural, but...

...this tag was different enough that I thought it might make you smile. I spotted it as I rode across Arroyo Chico on Eastbourne Avenue three weeks ago — on the morning of September 15. (By the way, Eastbourne is a great biking alternative to Country Club just south of Broadway.)

READ TO YOUR KIDS. If this is gang graffiti, maybe it's a gang of librarians? :)

Pueblo Gardens Elementary

This mural is by the school's entrance at 2210 E. 33rd Street. I took the photo on January 16, 2011. (By the way, the plants around the mural are real.)

Howard Rains' ride to Bisbee

Though this blog mostly shows murals in Tucson, there've been a few exceptions for exceptional murals. This one from Howard Rains is in that category. The garage (named Bisbee Bug & Auto Repair) has a clever mural that might take you a moment to spot. (Like always, you can click for a larger view.)

Thanks for all of your photos this past month or so, Howard!

Maybe a mural, part 20

I put these flying books in the "maybe a mural" category mostly because they aren't, well, flat. And, unfortunately, some of them are deteriorating; artist Simon Donovan mentioned (at a talk he gave downtown for TPAC) that they weren't sealed properly.

If you haven't seen them, why not stop by now? And, while you're there, go inside and grab a book of your own. These are on top of the south wall at Woods Memorial Library, 3455 North 1st. I took the photo on December 23, 2010.

New York on North Campbell

The shapes of the windows on this restaurant remind me of a Taco Bell in the town where I grew up. But this is The Bagelry, at 2575 N. Campbell. It's the east wall. The mural is signed clay gibson 01.09.

Update (March 22, 2012): I saw a note in the Caliente section of the Arizona Daily Star saying that The Bagelry has been replaced by a branch of Jimmy John's. No word on the fate of the mural.

Mural not for rent

Sorry, mural lovers: the "for rent" sign actually applies to the house behind this street-side mural. The mural is in South Tucson, along the northwest corner of 29th & 5th Avenue, and I took the photo on December 23, 2010. (The house behind is at 1840 S. 5th.)

Streetside masks

Máscara is Spanish for "mask" — which explains this street-side mosaic mural along the north side of 29th Street, just west of 7th Avenue, in the city of South Tucson. Carlos Valenzuela created it.

Playing around McDonald's, part 2

Here's the second of the murals wrapped around the southeast corner of 29th & 6th, outside McDonald's in South Tucson. This mural is on the northwest side of that corner. Like the one in yesterday's post, it was signed Las Artes 2001.

Playing around McDonald's, part 1

The mural-filled city of South Tucson has murals wrapped around the southeast corner of 29th & 6th, outside McDonald's. This mural is on the north side of that corner. It's signed Las Artes 2001.

Billares El Sur

Even if you don't speak Spanish, the mural wrapped around the building leaves no doubt what's inside the northwest corner of 32nd & 6th in the city of South Tucson.

Mr. K's BBQ

Howard Rains wrote that this is "the front of Mr K's BBQ. It is getting to be in pretty bad shape. Mr K's also has a small museum dedicated to the Buffalo Soldiers, hence the nature of this small mural."

The restaurant is at 1830 S Park. Howard took the photo on August 14.

Come on in to Pico de Gallo

Somehow this mural on Taqueria Pico de Gallo (2618 South 6th in South Tucson) looked like it was waving me in the door last December 23.

Update (November 13, 2012): Pico de Gallo has a new mascot.

...and another side

Palateria y Neveria, 6th Avenue & 36th Street, has murals on two sides. We showed the east side yesterday, and here's the south wall:

Both photos are from December 23, 2010.

One side of Palateria y Neveria...

Palateria y Neveria, 6th Avenue & 36th Street in the city of South Tucson, has murals on two sides. That's the east wall.

Over I-10 on Sixth Avenue

Murals commemorating Cesar Chávez run along both sides of the bridge that takes 6th Avenue over Interstate 10.
The artists were Joshua Sarantitis and Alex Garza.

El Indio restaurant

This mural on the west wall, at 3355 S. 6th, is signed Conceptual Aerosol. I took the photo on December 23, 2010.

Not your typical auto parts mural

That's the south wall of CostLess Auto Parts, 3650 S. 6th, last December 23.

Update (November 6, 2014): There's a new mural here.

Unique Styles By Pamela and Co.

Howard Rains sent this photo of a mural on the north facing wall of what used to be a barber shop not long ago:

Thanks, as always, Howard!

Update (August 17, 2021): I saw a photo of the mural today; it's still there ten years later. The muralist is Todd Blum.

Pueblo Income Tax

This scene was on the northwest corner of Pueblo Income Tax, at 4426 S. 6th, last December 23rd.

Update (September 17, 2012): Randy posted this mural on June 2, 2008, as A little fruity?. I didn't notice that until today, so here it is again. :)

Centro Espiritual San Jose

This brightly-colored building and sign were at 4115 South 6th, Suite #4, on December 23rd.

Store with murals (was?) for rent

This store, La Orquidea, at 4107 S. 6th Avenue, was for rent when I rode by ten months ago, December 23.

Update (November 28, 2012): There's a new (old) store here, and building has been repainted.

Plaza San Judas

Buildings around this part of Tucson have lots of murals! Here's the west wall of 4115 S. 6th on December 23.

Around another corner...

Back on August 7, we showed the mural on the back of a barber shop at Grande & Congress. Just by chance, a few days later, August 13, Howard Rains took a photo of the back of another barber shop — this one at 5176 E. 22nd. We showed the side of the barber shop in yesterday's post. Here's the back.


Update (September 13, 2012): The mural is gone; the wall has been painted over.

Together We Thrive

Howard Rains sent this photo from 5176 E. 22nd on August 13th. He wrote that it's on the "east facing wall of 22nd St Liquor Store. I'm pretty sure it is only a couple of months old. It's across from Thoroughbred Nissan and is about 1 block west of Jack's BBQ."

Update (September 13, 2012): The mural is gone; the east wall has been painted over.