MURALS, MOSIACS AND ART IN FLAGSTAFF

August-September, 2020

There are any number of great cities across the United States where you can see amazing street art, just by driving around.  Cities that spring to mind are Philadelphia, Austin, Tucumcari and Tucson.  Now we can add another one to our list:  Flagstaff, Arizona.  We decided to spend one day exploring and photographing as many cool murals, mosaics and art as we could find. 

Like Tucson, Flagstaff’s Visitors Center has a “Public Art Map” that will guide you to the location of each piece.  Flagstaff is unique in that in addition to murals, mosaics and “three-dimensional” art, the map will direct you to photography, the “Paws Project”, interactive art, bas-relief and ephemera. 

We usually challenge ourselves to find these often-hidden gems using our bicycles as biking offers a great balance between exercise, map reading, dodging assorted vehicles in motion, and treasure hunting. 

We decided to pick a section of the city near Bushmaster Park for our first adventure.  Like many of the parks in Flagstaff, green open space is plentiful, and families can play and have fun; it’s also where we found our first mural:  Community Reflections (2017), a Mural Mice Universal and local community effort. 

Mural Mice Universal is an Arizona-based artist collective that specializes in creating public and private art. The word “mice” refers to “community moralists who work to engage others in creating meaningful public art for the sake of community.”  The goal of the Mural Mice is to beautify a public space as well as to provide educational resources.  “Anyone can become a Mural Mouse…”

Coconino Community College is home to one of the artfully decorated mountain lions that can be found in and around Flagstaff.

This art project was the brainchild of the Coconino Coalition for Children and Youth (CCCY), and it is known as the PAWS Project (Promoting Assets With Sculpture).  Sculptor Dion Wright created the prototype for the 17, 40-carbon composite, life-sized mountain lion sculptures that can be found all over the city. Once a sponsor has been identified by CCCY, a local artist is invited to work collaboratively with a local youth group to decorate a mountain lion sculpture, focusing on a “developmental asset” that has been identified as essential for the success and wellbeing of a child.  Begun in 2009, the project has realized a lot of support from the community.  It costs $5,000 to sponsor a mountain lion sculpture, and the CCCY is open to working with groups or businesses, encouraging them to come together to do fundraisers to raise the money. 

The next set of murals we discovered were at the Puente de Hozho Bilingual Magnet School on North Fourth Street.  The school is a trilingual language school that includes two dual-language programs comprised of a Navajo Immersion Language Program and a Spanish-English bilingual Program.  With the help of renowned landscape artist Bruce Aiken, Native American artist Shonto Begay, David Grandon and art teacher, Craig Bowie, these murals reflect important aspects of Arizona as well as elements associated with the cultural lives of the children who attend this unique school; the murals are whimsical, and every student had a hand in their creation.  

Just around the corner from the magnet school we sought out two more pieces:  the New Jersey Pizza Company Mural  and the Montessori School Mosaic (2011). We were disappointed to discover that the mural at the pizza restaurant had been painted over.  However, the incredible and cheery detail of the mosaic at the entrance to the Montessori school made us smile.

The next set of murals took us down narrow streets in a local neighborhood.  Each house was clearly prepared for the monsoon season in Arizona (June 15-September 30) that brings the potential for heavy rain, lightning, hail, high winds, and flash flooding as well as 40-50% of the City’s annual precipitation.  Storms during these months are not continuous; they usually come in the form of afternoon and evening thunderstorms.  Monsoon season in northern Arizona for the past two years has been dry and uneventful, a “non-soon.”  Given the lack of rainfall, it was surprising to see how many homes had stacked banks of sandbags around the edges of their property. 

The first mural, La Hoya de Sunnyside (2004), was painted on the exterior of what appeared to be a daycare center that is part of the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association of Flagstaff.  The playful designs painted on sky blue walls included images that appeal to youngsters:  rainbows, cartoon animals, numbers and letters as well as figures honoring local culture and historical figures. The mural wraps itself around the entire building.  What a joyful place for children to spend the day!

As we ventured further into this sketchy neighborhood we found two more murals.  A portion of Protect the Sacred (2013) had been painted over, and yellow police tape was strung across the mural with a message that the artist had broken the law.  As we stopped to take pictures, a police officer drove up to ask us if we were lost.  Nope.  Just on a bike tour of local street art.  Okay. Have a nice day.

Just around the corner was Taala Hooghan Murals, an artfully decorated old building that had seen better days; it currently housed the local neighborhood food bank.  We asked permission from volunteers to take some pics, being careful to avoid people who were driving by to pick up a bag of groceries.  The volunteers were so excited to see that their building had been included in the public art tour, they offered us a bag of apples!  We politely declined. 

Just before we rode out of the neighborhood we were delighted to discover a new mosaic that was not on our Public Art Map.

Back on our bikes we headed to Route 66 and up 4th Street for four more murals.  The first mural,The Bus Stop Garden Mural (2003), was located on the corner just outside the offices of the Arizona Cooperative Extension Services.  Much like the offices of the Pennsylvania Cooperative Extension Service in Nazareth, small raised beds were established with native plants and a bounty of marigolds that attracted helpful bees and butterflies. 

It was a challenge to get a good photo of Arizona North Mural (1999). Hidden behind trees and shrubs and fighting with late-morning light, this emblematic landscape has withstood the harsh climate of Arizona.

Just up the road and at the end of the parking lot for a local organic grocer we found another undocumented mural. Both of us remarked that the young man in the mural reminded us of our grandson, Dan.

The next two pieces we hoped to see were inside the Flagstaff Aquaplex:  Aquaplex Mural (2008) and Paws No. 28 (2014). The Aquaplex was closed due to COVID-19, but Brian was determined to photograph the mountain lion sculpture, even if he had to take it through glass.

On the way back to Bushmaster Park Brian spied a mural in the courtyard of Satchmo’s, a BBQ and jazz joint.

Following our relaxing lunch we headed downtown.  Historic Flagstaff, referred to by locals as “Flag”, has a wonderfully walkable downtown that caters to the students, staff and employees of Northern Arizona University. We started at the visitors center located in the historic Santa Fe passenger train depot on Route 66.  The most prominent mural can be found on the low wall that is on the north side of the train station.  The Centennial Wall Mural (2012) is the work of Navajo artist, Redwing Ted Nez who came to Flagstaff from Winslow in 1976 to work as a welder and iron worker.  Today he is a noted local artist.  Redwing Nez’s submission was selected from a group of eight artists by a nine-member commission that included Grand Canyon artist, Bruce Aiken. The Centennial Wall Mural is a 100-foot section of the Flagstaff Urban Trails System (FUTS) that runs alongside the train station, commemorating 100 years of the cultural, historic, natural aspects and the rich heritage of Flagstaff. The mural is about 60-feet long, and it is five feet tall at its highest point. The mural was completed by Redwing Nez, three other artists, and Nez’s son, Eli, and is a delightful and welcoming piece that greets all visitors to Flagstaff.  Visitors can enjoy other pieces of Nez’s work at the Museum of Northern Arizona. 

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Two more Mural Mice community projects can be found at the visitors center:  on the tarmac in the parking lot is the infamous Route 66 Street Mural (2017)…

…And indoors is the Visitor Center Mural (2016). 

The three master works are intended to leave a legacy for future generations of visitors and residents of Flagstaff.

As we wandered the charming streets of downtown, we came upon Mother Myth Mural (2014), designed and illustrated by local Mural Mice Universal artists R.E. Wall and Margaret Dewar.  It reflects the history of Route 66 in Flagstaff from 1920-1980, from the construction of the Mother Road through the Great Depression, WWII and the birth of the Interstate Highway System. This mural serves to remind us of the romantic legend that is Route 66 that lives on into the 21st century.

All From a Moment Alive (2007) can be found on the side of a bicycle shop.  It’s one of those feel-good murals that just makes you smile when you see it. 

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Piano Room Mural (2010), True Blue NAU Mural (2012), and The Veridic Gardens of Effie Leroux (2000) are all on North Leroux Street.  The piano mural is interesting in that it looks like the work was designed around some exposed bricks when in reality the bricks were created as part of the painting. 

The True Blue NAU piece highlights the sports and many of the traditions and symbols that are a big part of the culture at Northern Arizona University (NAU), including Louie the Lumberjack, the mascot for NAU since 1915.

The veridic gardens mural was tucked away in an alley in Heritage Square near the former Peso Brothers Pizza. You can still get a burger and a drink while you enjoy this interesting piece.  The large-eyed children look a bit mischievous and a bit creepy; they reminded us of fanciful illustrations from a children’s book.  The vacant stares and unsmiling faces were kind of unnerving as we wound our way around the cylindrical base to a car park ramp. A tiny version of Klimt’s “The Kiss” is rumored to be hidden somewhere in the mural. 

Close by was another statue that is part of the PAWS project.

History of Flagstaff (1998) is one of the city’s oldest murals. The recreations of early life in Flagstaff are depicted in panels, and we would have missed the whole thing if we hadn’t looked up.  This mural is located on the East wall of the Orpheum Theater.

And speaking of the Orpheum Theater, Barbara’s favorite mural, The Sound of Flight (2015) designed by the visionary Sky Black and brought to life by Mural Mice Universal graces the exterior of the theater.  It is a city-block long incredible masterpiece, and it was by far the tallest and the longest mural we encountered.  The surreal vision of the designer leaves everything to the imagination.  If there would have been benches, we would have spent a long time taking in all that is reflected in this colorful and beautifully executed piece.    

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The Mancuso’s Boots (2002) is a memorial mural to George L Mancuso, and it is an awesome tribute to the man and the incredible Grand Canyon. 

Flagstaff Brewing Company Mural (2012) and Runners Mural (2013) were both discovered around the corner and down an alley and a side street.

One of our favorite parks in Flagstaff is Wheeler Park.  It’s conveniently located near the Library and City Hall on the corner of Humphrey and Birch streets.  After hiking in the area, we often had lunch in the shade of some of the beautiful old trees in this idyllic city park. Another of the PAWS Project mountain lions graces the parking lot. 

Just two blocks west of the park on Birch Street is a cleverly designed and colorfully painted fence (2017).   Enormous flowers, butterflies and other creatures demand your attention as they float merrily along on this block-long mural.

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 Two blocks east of the park we discovered The Flagstaff Portal (2013) and Learning to Fly (2017), displayed on opposite sides of the same office building.

Several murals appeared on our map that we could not find, and some were not on the map at all. We loved the face on the child depicted in Aspen Machine Murals (2016).

Unity (2018) is another collaborative work of local artists seeking to honor diversity. The “rich tapestry” of our country is reflected here with five hands of different skin tones spelling unity in American Sign Language with a rainbow starburst. The mural beseeches people of every race, creed, gender, ability or disability to come together as one.

The Coconino Center for the Arts was our next stop…

…Four Seasons (2013) feature children in four panels engaged in the performing arts throughout the year. 

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Spirit Line (2016) honors the Dine weavers, and the spirit line refers to the intentional defect that weavers leave in an otherwise perfect weaving. This small imperfection allows the weaver’s spirit and creativity to escape to create more rugs; symbolically it reflects the tenuous balance between beauty and imperfection. 

We regularly drove past The Flagstaff Arts & Leadership Academy (FALA) on our way to hikes in the forests around the Snowball ski area.  We finally had a reason to stop and explore the campus.  FALA is a public school/charter school and describes itself as a “school of choice”.  The school has no sports or gym or school nurse and does not provide transportation.  Students in grades 6-12 who are dedicated to academics as well as the arts are encouraged to enroll.  The Executive Director, Eli Cohen, greeted us warmly, and he was surprised that murals from the school were included in the Public Arts Map.  Students are not attending classes right now because of COVID-19 so we were free to explore and photograph at will.  

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Most of our day was spent identifying and looking for murals and mosaics.  However there were a couple of sculptures we decided to include as well.  The first, Progression (2016) is a 10-foot sculpture by Hopi artist Dan Namingha, located at the south entrance to the Museum of Northern Arizona.  Yellow is the Hopi directional color for North, and the piece honors Namingha’s great-great-grandmother, Nampeyo.

The second was The Guardian (1984) tucked away in a corner on the grounds of the Flagstaff Medical Center. 

As we started to drive back to Williams, we found the last mural we were looking for:  Jetsonian Optimism (2015) located in the parking lot of the Travelodge Motel on Route 66.  In the tradition of honoring the memory of Route 66, sometimes called “The Mother Road” because it was the first highway to link Chicago to Los Angeles, this famous highway has inspired several generations of artists.  The large abstract piece pays homage to the flying fins and gleaming grills of the cars of the 1940s and 1950s that traveled Route 66 in its heyday.  Route 66 is uniquely America, not just for the landscape or the tchotchkes travelers can find as they drive this historic highway.  It’s an American legend.  Choosing style over substance, the “retro-futuristic” theme of this colorful mural depicts the optimism that was prevalent in America following World War II.

We will be traveling back to Mesa for the winter at the end of September so we’ll have to make a special trip back to Flag to see the changing of the leaves. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our Summer here in Northern Arizona, especially all of the adventures we have had in and around Flagstaff:  hiking, biking, learning to play disc golf – it was a great place to be!

Barbara and Brian