Desert vehicles and critters

Art lovers who want to get out of town (way out of town), try Desert Truck & RV Sales, 2309 S. Craycroft (just south of 32nd St.). The building is wrapped with murals:


including some famous desert critters:

DeGrazia chapel

The chapel at DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun (6300 N. Swan, near Skyline) is a special place. Ted DeGrazia, who studied in Mexico with muralists Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, lined the chapel walls with murals:



Update (May 31, 2017): A fire badly damaged these frescoes. Today's entry has a link to the Arizona Daily Star article about the fire, with photos.

Vista del Monte neighborhood welcome

The mosaic mural and desert animals at the corner of Glenn and Columbus welcome you to the Vista del Monte neighborhood.

Slow down on North Craycroft...

... or, better yet, ride a bicycle (so it's easy to stop)... to see murals like this one on walls along the roadway between River and Sunrise. The walls are painted with orange and red swirls that flow around the murals. (This one is across the street from the intersection with Placita de Royale.)

Drive-thru cafe

Want to drive through a café? Try the CoffeeXChange at 6841 E. Camino Principal (which is a confusing address; it's on Tanque Verde just east of the stoplight at Camino Principal). On the north wall is this café scene... with a menu and speaker at the left side and the pick-up window at the right side (just out of the photo). Mais oui!

Spicy mural

The mural that wraps around El Pueblo Viejo Salsa Company (2514 S. 4th Avenue) has some parts in outline (like the ghostly musician on front), some parts flat (like the painted-on window and the bricks around the door), and some parts... well, check it out yourself when you're in South Tucson for a meal or a visit to see all of the art along the streets.

Sit a while, enjoy the art

If Jeff's Auto Parts weren't on a main street -- 2412 S. 4th Avenue in South Tucson -- you might think you were right at home, with two places to sit and two mosaic murals to admire.

Sue's Fish & Chips

You'll find these two murals along 4th Avenue in South Tucson, at the corner of 35th Street, Sue's Fish & Chips. The second one is signed Lira Designs, 218-9882:



Update (November 27, 2014): Today we posted Mark Fleming's photos from September, 2014 showing a much-improved mural. For instance, the rough "steak fingers" sign and corral at the left edge of the second photo above are now bright and crisp.

O&J Tire Shop

This mural at O&J Tire Shop, 2610 S Park Avenue (at 36th St.), is in memory of Neto Ramirez.

Quincie Douglas Center

At this big recreation center, swimming pool and public library, 1575 E 36th St., mosaic murals line the front and back of the monument out front. At the entrance to the central building is a bench with hand-made tiles: (Click on an image for a larger view. Use your browser's "back" button to come back.) Update (November 10, 2020): There's much more art now.

Welcome to South Tucson (on 29th)

Coming from the east on 29th Street, you enter South Tucson as you cross the railroad tracks. (Here's a map.) These three welcoming murals are all on the north side in the first few blocks -- before you get to 4th Avenue.

Update (September 29, 2014): I've found details about the second mural in La Tusa, The Tattoo Mural.

Tucson Greyhound Park on 36th

Here are two of the murals lining South Tucson streets. These are on 36th Street along the parking lot for Tucson Greyhound Park.



Update (October 5, 2015): David Aber stopped by and wrote this about the first mural:

It’s on the south side of E. 36th St. and across the street from number 325 … If you take a close look at the Chevy’s license plate, you’ll see that the mural was completed in 2009 by Las Artes (a Pima County youth program).

South Tucson shows off

South Tucson ("the pueblo within a city") has decorated its main streets with murals and bits of color on benches, bus stops, trash cans, plaques, and more. Here are a few examples from the blocks of South 4th Avenue just north of 36th Street:

Decorated bridges along the Rillito

On a sunny winter day, you'll meet lots of other Tucsonans walking or biking the paths along the Rillito River. (Maybe you'll even see some water! :)

Bridges along the way are decorated with tile and mosaic. Here are a few. All of these are between Campbell and Alvernon. (As always, you can click on any photo for a bigger view. Come back with your browser's "Back" button.)

Country Club	Camino Real
Hacienda del Sol
Christmas	St. Phillips

And click to see bridges between Alvernon and Swan.

Half-missing mural

Did the artist stop after painting the top part, or was the bottom part covered over? (I think it's probably the latter... though that leads to the question of why?) This is on the side of Jim's Market, 805 E. 36th Street.

Update (January 16, 2011): The building — and this half-mural — have been painted over in a sort of pink color.

Boys & Girls Clubs preview

This simple mural in front of the organization's Holmes Tuttle Clubhouse, 2585 E 36th Street shows what you'll find inside:

Dale's Doors

Need a real door? Dale's Doors, at 321 S. Kino Parkway, should be able to help you. If you have a wall waiting for a mural with a door, Dale's can probably tell you which muralist painted this scene on their wall.

Update (May 17, 2011): Here's part of the same mural at night.

Bright idea on Edison

You'll find this mural along the driveway at 2702 E. Edison.

Murals and mosaics at Miles

Tucson schools have a lot of great public art, but Miles Exploratory Learning Center, 1400 E. Broadway (at Highland) is special. Let's start with views from the north and south:


(As always, you can click on any photo for a larger view. Use your browser's "Back" button to return here.)

There are murals all around the school, like this one along the parking lot:


and The ABCs of Tucson (J for Jalapeños, N for Norteña music, ...):


Between Broadway and the school building, though, is the part that's best: The Gardens, a series of different gardens with mosaic plaques at the entrance...


...and along the paths.


There's also an artistic courtyard inside the school that I didn't see. If you visit the garden during school hours, by the way, sign in at the school office. It's just through the doors in left-hand photo at the top.

Barn south of Broadway

This barn-shaped building, painted with farm animals...


...is at the Highland Free School, 510 S. Highland.