State of the Artz

The Muralist The artist Jessica Gonzales painted her first large-scale public mural in 2016. Since then, she’s churned out a seemingly endless cascade of instantly recognizable, colorful, murals all over Tucson in public locations, private business, and homes, making her one of the most prolific muralists in the region. Danzacultura Carmen Baron fell in love with folklorico while growing up in Altar, Sonora. That’s where as a young girl, her mother placed her on her lap while she worked at a sewing machine. But Carmen didn’t start learning about her Mexican heritage until she moved to Tucson in 1973. Since then, she has been dedicated to passing on her knowledge and the tradition of folklorico to the next generation. Carlos Community educator and glass and tile artist, Carlos Valenzuela has helped facilitate the creation of hundreds of mosaic tile murals across Southern Arizona with local youth. Red Herring Puppets Puppetry has its roots in folklore, religion, and magic. The first puppets on the North American continent were part of the ceremonial rituals of Native Americans. The 20th century brought ethnic puppeteers to the US. Their performance styles and designs influenced the permanent vocabulary of puppet theatre. Lisa Aimee Sturz, the founder of the Red Herring Puppets, is a puppeteer who lives in Tucson. She welcomes us into her world. Las Azaleas Las Azaleas is a women-led mariachi group that highlights the voices and talent of female musicians. Founded in 2020 by Diana Olivares, they perform for both public and private events, with unforgettable vocals and instrumentation. Kyklo More Copy Neon Prophet The desert reggae band Neon Prophet has been playing a weekly show at Tucson’s Chicago Bar since 1984. In 2021 British author, Harvey Burgess, recently completed a book, Reggae Night, chronicling the group’s long history, colorful members, community impact, and symbiotic relationship with the venue. Tito and Pep Cooking over wood has been a part of Tucson’s culinary history for thousands of years and it is at the center of the midtown bistro Tito and Pep. Head chef and owner John Martinez grew up cooking family meals, pig roasts, and tamales with his grandmother in Tucson, which led him to pursue a career in the field. After several years in New York working for acclaimed chefs and opening restaurants around the world, Martinez returned to Tucson hoping to open a restaurant that reflected this city’s diverse cultural influences, Tito and Pep is the result. Tucson Chinese Chorizo Project Native Tucsonan Feng-Feng Yeh created the Tucson Chinese Chorizo Project as a way to retell the story of how Chinese and Mexican communities once thrived throughout the barrios of downtown Tucson. This historic recipe of the Chinese chorizo has been re-created and distributed to local restaurants that are putting a modern spin on this sausage as it is used to highlight the story of its humble past. Tumerico Wendy Garcia grew up in Alamos, Sonora. She learned from her father and grandmother how to cook traditional Mexican food, with lots of meat. After moving to Tucson at the age of 17, Garcia started working in restaurants around Tucson, ranging from Taco Bell to Feast. After a decade of working late nights and multiple jobs, she decided to start her own business selling vegan tamales at farmers' markets. That grew into Tumerico, an extremely popular and nationally recognized restaurant in the heart of Tucson.