Tucson Botanical Gardens’ VW Bug has returned for a summer of Bikes, Trains and Automobiles at the gardens.
The Bug has had many different looks during its time at the gardens, delighting patrons with its whimsy.
“It was first the cactus bug… But it was also a ‘Bug-onia’ and a flower power bug,” said Laura Leach, development and marketing director at Tucson Botanical Gardens. “This time it’s come back as the barrio bug.”
Now parked outside the Nuestro Jardín, or Barrio Garden, the Volkswagen Bug has been transformed into a celebration of Mexican American culture.
“We wanted particularly to work with a locally based artist and a Mexican American artist because we wanted it to be here and connected to the barrio garden, and the culture that honors,” Leach said.
The Tucson artist behind the Barrio Bug’s new redesign is Sue Betanzos, who is well known for her glass mosaic murals. She has permanent public art installations at the Tucson International Airport and San Diego Seaport Village.
Betanzos said the design for the Barrio Bug was inspired by the origins and meaning of Dia de los Muertos.
“It went through a lot of concepts, a lot of additions and re-dos, and I came up with three concepts actually,” Betanzos said. In the end, the Alebrije Jackalope theme came out on top.
To bring her vision to life, the Bug was painted a bright teal and adorned with a vinyl wrap depicting the Jackalope, which Betanzos described as a nahual spirit guide of the southwest.
The colors and symbols within the piece were chosen to emulate the styles of Mexican and Zapotec art, and have significant meanings.
Betanzos said the pink symbolizes love, the yellow tones express joy, and the greens and blues for the background represent nature.
“I wanted to create something magical. Bring joy, and meaning to those who would experience the VW,” she said.
The Barrio Bug is not just a pretty decoration, it is also a living installation, filled with plants and trees that hold special significance in Mexican American culture.
“We use the same main themes we use in the barrio garden,” said Adam Farrell-Wortman, director of horticulture at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. “Food plants, a lot of color, also a lot of found and or repurposed objects.”
Nearly every surface of the Bug is potted with plants like marigolds, peppers and canna lilies, and there are even mission fig and pomegranate trees growing from the car.
The trees are clones of a fig which stood at the San Xavier Mission and the first pomegranate on the property of Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way.
There are also herbs like rosemary, which were chosen for their medicinal and culinary and cultural importance.
“That is why I think this is such a beloved space,” Leach said. “Because it is truly an homage to Mexican American neighborhood gardening. And this is a fun take on that.”
A woman walks her dog around the Barrio Garden at the Tucson Botanical Gardens Wednesday, July 24.
The fresh new look of the Barrio Bug is part of the Botanical Garden’s summer of Bikes, Trains and Automobiles, which culminates with a lowrider event on Aug. 17.
Leach said attendees will be able to enjoy food from Charlie’s Grill, and admire lowrider bikes and cars, as well as VW and vintage cars.
“I think it will be a lot of fun,” Leach said. “I’m hoping it might bring in a slightly different audience to come visit the gardens.”
The lowrider event is 6 to 8 p.m. for the cost of garden admission. For tickets and more information, visit tucne.ws/tbgcars.
Regular garden hours for the summer are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for kids ages 4 to 12; $19 for adults; and $15 for students, seniors and military through tucsonbotanical.org.
Watch now: These beautiful native plants will be a great addition to your Tucson garden. Video by Dominika Heusinkveld/Arizona Daily Star.
