Shannon Riggs, member of the Historic Fourth Avenue Coalition, places a campaign art piece on Tucson Thrift Shop’s window. The coalition is encouraging Tucsonans to don masks with mask-wearing pigeons designed by local artist John Carrillo.

 Rebecca Sasnett / Arizona Daily Star

If you’ve taken a stroll down North Fourth Avenue in recent days, you may have seen 2-foot cutouts of mask-wearing pigeons wheat-pasted on participating store fronts.

Local artist John Carrillo and the Historic Fourth Avenue Coalition have teamed up in the fight against the coronavirus.

The pigeons are part of a campaign with the Historic Fourth Avenue Coalition — which is made of local neighborhoods and businesses — that encourages Tucsonans to wear face masks and social distance amid the coronavirus pandemic. Plans for the campaign started before local mask mandates were put in place.

“I think it would be an awesome thing to just reinforce the idea (of wearing masks) and maybe even in an ironic and funny way with this filthy pigeon telling humans, ‘You should wear a mask,’” says John Carrillo, who created the campaign’s artwork. “Not being preachy, it’s just — if this dirty bird can wear a mask, we can all wear a mask.”

The 20 black-and-white pigeons you might spot along Fourth Avenue are all diverse — from a mom pigeon to a skateboarding pigeon to a pigeon playing music.

“Fourth Avenue is eclectic and these pigeons are eclectic,” says Pop Cycle co-owner DeeDee Koenen. “We’re just trying to approach it in a way that’s like, ‘Why not?’ and make it fun.”

Carrillo also designed a poster and stickers for local businesses to hang up and the coalition is working on a video for the campaign.

“I think it would be an awesome thing to just reinforce the idea (of wearing masks),” says artist John Carrillo, who created the artwork for a campaign asking Tucsonans to wear masks.

A finished campaign art piece is placed on the wall of Pop Cycle on Fourth Avenue. Artist John Carrillo wanted to reinforce that if pigeons, often referred to as being disease carriers, can wear masks, so can humans.

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.

Contact reporter Gloria Knott at gknott@tucson.com or 573-4235. On Twitter: @gloriaeknott