This mural tour is perfect for social distancing because you can see all these magnificent murals from the street, making them a great destination for your outside exercise time or a nice drive to get everyone out of the house for a minute.
Just follow Gov. Doug Ducey's order about when to stay home and check out this guidance about social-distancing outside.
Whale mural
Find these floating whales near the corner of Campbell Avenue and Grant Road. They're painted by local artist Joe Pagac. He says the mural represents theΒ idea of thrivingΒ even under the most challenging circumstances β seems super appropriate right now. This is one of five murals commissioned this summer by Banner-University Medical Center Tucson.
Location:Β The old Catalina Theater building,Β 2320Β N. Campbell Ave.
Desert heart mural
If you needed proof that saguaros are the heart of the desert, look no further than this heart mural created by well-known Phoenix artist Lalo Cota.Β Find this mural a couple buildings down from The Loft Cinema heading east on Speedway. It's also one of the murals commissioned byΒ Banner-University Medical Center Tucson.
Location:Β Custom Auto Sound by Stereo Pad building,Β 3443 E. Speedway Blvd.
Fourth Avenue mural
This one is by Ignacio Garcia and can be found on Fourth Avenue on theΒ A Foam and Fabric PlaceΒ building.
Location:Β A Foam and Fabric Place,Β 246 N. Fourth Ave.
Selena mural at American Eat Co.
Local artist Jonny Ballesteros spent about two weeks spray painting this '90s-inspired image ofΒ Selena Quintanilla-PΓ©rez on anΒ American Eat Co.Β wall.
Location:Β American Eat Co. and Market,Β 1439 S. Fourth Ave.Β
Running of the PiΓ±atas
You can find Ignacio Garcia's mural of a boy running away from colorful piΓ±atas near Sixth Avenue and Congress. It's one of four murals that popped up as part of the Tucson Arts Brigade Downtown Mural Project.
Location:Β The UPS Store Downtown Tucson,Β 31 N. Sixth Ave.
The Little One Mural
Find Jessica Gonzales's vibrant mural on the north wall of the The Little One restaurant in downtown Tucson.Β Gonzales, a Tucson artist, says this mural was inspired by the idea ofΒ explorationΒ β in both the physical and emotional sense. It too is part of Tucson Arts Brigade Downtown Mural Project.
Where:Β The Little One,Β 151 N. Stone Ave.
Sonora
This mural was finished on Dec. 18, 2018 by artist Karlito Miller Espinosa aka Mata Ruda and his two University of Arizona art studentsΒ Analaura Villegas and Brisa Tzintzun.
Location:Β Historic Y building,Β 300 W. University Blvd.Β
MOCA mural
This mural "Spilt Screen" was created by artistΒ Amir H. FallahΒ and can be found on the west wall ofΒ MOCA: Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson.
Location:Β MOCA: Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson,Β 265 South Church Ave.
Wavelab Recording Studio mural
ArtistΒ Diego RoaΒ created this mural, which can be seen near the corner of Broadway and Sixth Avenue in downtown Tucson.
Location:Β Wavelab Recording Studio,Β 111 S. Sixth Ave.
The Talking Mural
Tierra Y Libertad worked with artists Alex Jimenez and Johanna Martinez on βThe Talking Muralβ on the Raspados Oasis building.Β La Doce Foodways ProjectΒ engaged residents, business owners and students to learn about sustaining and strengthening the barrios along South 12th Avenue.
Location:Β Raspados Oasis,Β 4126 S. 12th Ave.
Why I Love Where I Live
These two murals were commissioned byΒ Why I Love Where I LiveΒ to help other people see Tucson's beauty. Artist Danny Martin painted these to coincide with Arizona's 106th birthday. Kristin Tovar, co-founder of Why I Love Where I Live, said murals played a role in her own journey toward loving Tucson.Β
Location:Β 234 E. 6th St.Β on the wall of Reproductions, Inc. facing Sixth Street.Β
Tucson greeting card mural
This mural was created last year by traveling artists Victor Ving Lisa Beggs as part of a cross-country mural project called the "Greetings Tour". Rock Martinez contributed by adding his artwork to the letter C in TUCSON.
Location:Β 406 N. 6th Ave.Β On the back wall of Miller's Surplus.
Goddess of Agave mural
This 40-foot creation is another Tucson mural by Rock Martinez. He also had assistance from artist, Cristina Perez. The woman in the mural is painted in the likeness of Brandi Watkins, Martinez's girlfriend. It's one of eight murals done as part of theΒ Tucson Mural Arts Program.
Location:Β 440 N. 7th Ave. The west side wall of the Benjamin Plumbing Supply building.
Crested Eclipse muralΒ
Rock Martinez has continued his cactus people theme with this mural of a crested saguaro woman on Fourth Avenue. Find it in the Sky Bar parking lot.Β
Location:Β Sky Bar Tucson,Β 536 N. 4th Ave.Β
Star Wars cantina muralΒ
The Mos Eisley Cantina gets a Tucson remodel with this Star Wars mural created by local artist Jenna Tomasello. In this Arizona remake, Han Solo is enjoying a beer and burger in what looks like the Fourth Avenue restaurant,Β Tall Boys.
Location:Β Tall Boys,Β 600 N. 4th Ave.Β
Phoenix Mars Mission mural
This 1,200-square-foot creation was at one pointΒ Tucson's biggest mural, according to the Tucson Citizen. The mural was painted in 2006 by a group of University of Arizona art students for a class led by UA professor,Β Alfred Quiroz, as a way to highlight the UA's contributions to theΒ Phoenix Mars Mission.Β
Located:Β Michael J. Drake Building,Β 1415 N. 6th Ave.
Vergiss
Irish artistΒ Fin DacΒ painted this beauty. Dac travels around the world and paints women from East Asian cultures with an intention to rewire stereotypes surrounding women in that culture.Β
Location:Β 178 E. Broadway Blvd.Β On Broadway and Arizona Avenue, painted on the west-facing wall of the old Lewis Hotel.Β
Frida and Diego
The "Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Menlo Park" mural lives south of the Mercado San Agustin on the wall of a residential home and features a dancing Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in an afterlife celebration. The mural was completed by Rock Martinez in November 2016 for the All Souls Procession.
Location:Β South of Menlo Park
Cesar Chavez mural
Continuing south from downtown, you'll see this sweeping mural of what looks like indigenous deities perched next to the Aztec mother goddess Tonan. They're actually historical figures like Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi and Chicano activist Cesar Chavez. The scene was painted by by muralist Melchor RamirezΒ in honor of Chavez.
Location:Β 760 S. Stone Ave.
Unity Amid Diversity
This one is catty-corner from the Cesar Chavez mural, on the side of the Primavera Foundation building. Whenever it was made, it's definitely '90s in spirit. The real question is, where's that pink guy going???
Location:Β 702 S. Sixth Ave.
Serape Sunrise
You can find this one on the south side, at Desert Suds CarWash on South 12th Avenue. It's painted by Rock "Cyfi" Martinez, the muralist behind the Agave Goddess on 6th Street. (For this, he had the help of Fernando Leon.) If you look closely, you can see a UFO.Β
Location:Β Desert Suds CarWash atΒ 4610 S. 12th Ave.Β
