Speedway CorRIDOR MURAL PROJECT
My first public mural project!
Collaboration with Alley Cat Murals and the UofA Poetry Center. 6 Tucson artists collaborated in this project to paint 6 walls along Speedway Blvd by the University of Arizona. My mural pays homage to mobility justice and a celebration of people-powered movement. It was inspiring to see people roll by on the sidewalk and bike path as I painted the mural along one of the busiest transportation corridors in Tucson. Each artist was inspired by a local poet/poem to create their mural.
T.C. Tolbert is the poet I chose and someone I admire as a human and writer. I’m really inspired by T.C.’s current work in building out safer spaces and skill sets in the trades for Women, Queer, Trans, and Femme of Center people through various projects (BOSS - @buildingout; The Outlaw Project - @theoutlawproject1). I love the playful way s/he writes and the vulnerability in sharing so much of his personal story. Something Tolbert says is that “s/he is a human in love with humans doing human things” and this mural is people doing just that.
IT’S A VISION OF HOW THE CITYSCAPE CAN LOOK WHEN EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO SAFER SPACES AND MOBILITY. I HOPE THE MURAL INSPIRES INTERCONNECTION AND A PRACTICE OF ENVISIONING SAFER PUBLIC SPACES.
SYMBOLS:
People - representing the diversity in mobility and people. Normalizing and visualizing safer streets accessible to all. It’s was important for me to incorporate car-free use of the streets.
Our Streets - Streets were built for all of us and demographics shouldn’t dictate who’s safer. Tucson has some of the highest numbers of vehicular, pedestrian and cyclist deaths in the US due to high speeds and poor pedestrian infrastructure. Disproportionally, those numbers have been people of color, low income and/or unhoused. Complete Streets programs can help create safer streets.
Kite tattoo on the skater is a tribute to the annual Made For Flight project that T.C. started in 2010, “ a youth empowerment project that utilizes creative writing and kite building to celebrate trans lives, develop trans competency, and create a living memorial commemorating transgender people who were murdered in the previous year.”
Birds - used throughout his poetry. I started with using birds-eye perspective and painted finches on the flanking walls. Birds also represent hope & freedom.
Flowers - used throughout T.C.s work. I painted poppies on the outer walls. It was spring when I painted this mural and the wildflowers were in full bloom, especially the poppies. The poppy is a national symbol of peace and perseverance of the people of Palestine. The active occupation and genocide of Palestinians lays heavy in our hearts and I wanted to share that small symbol of solidarity, as our liberation (people, plants, animals, earth) is all interconnected.
Location of Murals: Speedway Blvd between Park Ave and Campbell Ave, along the university; 3 on northside and 3 on southside.
Location of my Mural: North side of Speedway next to a bus stop, by Warren Ave. It’s along a cool merging of transit. Bus Route #4.
PROMOTING ALTERNATIVE MOBILITY:
The tram goes under the roadway, the city bus stops by every 15mins, people are walking, biking, skating. Campbell and Speedway is the nearest intersection and one of the 5 most heavily traveled intersections in the city, with Speedway Blvd having an average of 41,000 vehicles running across the city daily. It’s a
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