Tolleson is a city of approximately 6500 people located 10 miles west of Phoenix. Tolleson's Integration Mural symbolizes a judge's ordering of the end to the segregation of Mexican-American students in the town of Tolleson. According to researcher Ruben Flores:

“The mural depicts the history of white American immigration to Arizona on the right, the history of Mexican American immigration to Arizona on the left, with the meeting of school children from each of the two cultures depicted in the center of the mural. In the background of the center portion is a public school set in rays of the sun. This is the community’s way of celebrating the mixing of cultures that occurred as a result of the federal Gonzalez v. Sheely desegregation case argued in Arizona in 1951. ”

— Ruben Flores, scholar studying Mexican/American relations (1850 to 1950) http://shanaburg.com/2009/01/civil-rights-is-there-more-to-the-story/

Artist? Location 9354 West Van Buren, Tolleson

Tolleson Fire Fighter's Mural 93rd Avenue and Van Buren, Tolleson

Fun rabbit!

Historic Avondale Arizona is a city of approximately 76,000 people west of Phoenix. It is also a city daring to imagine itself as an arts district. I was pleasantly intrigued when I heard about Avondale's intentionality with regard to public art specifically street art and murals. As a city, Avondale defines public art as:

“Any work of art or element of design, created by visual or public context artists, that is sited in a public place for people to experience. This can include installations, murals, outdoor sculptures, or infrastructure such as public fixtures or furniture and other function elements that are designed and/or built by artists.”

— http://www.avondale.org/index.aspx?NID=1151

My favorites along Western Avenue between Dysart and Litchfield Roads:

"Road to Rebirth," painted by Edward Buonvecchio and 10 apprentices,707 E. Western Ave.

Ky Thorton and Mel Gee painted this mural, "Angelic Energy," on a wall near the corner of 6th Street and Belmont Avenue.

DJ & Music by Marsh Sale and Miles Davis tribute mural by Hugo Medina at 701 E. Western.

1. Servous Nystem "Collaboration of Styles," painted by Carols Rivas and Edgar Fernandez, 701 E. Western. 2. Project directed by Martin Morena on the corner of Central and Western. 3. unknown artist. 4. Cesar Chavez by El Podrido on the side of Taqueria La Jacky, 532 E. Western Ave. 5. Mariachi Gold painted by Veronica Verdugo-Lomeli at Zamoras Cafe & Restaurant, 606 E. Western Ave and 6. JB Snyder.

Artists: Bryan Kilgore and Margaret Lieu - In an alley just north of the Estrella High School, west of Central Ave.

Car murals

Avondale has designated The Creative Arts District as those properties adjacent to Western Avenue, primarily west of Dysart Road, extending to Avondale’s border with the City of Goodyear. This is a very walkable area filled with shops, murals, and other public art.

TAGS

ARCHIVE