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JESSICA GONZALES AND CYFI TO COMPLETE LARGEST MURAL IN PIMA COUNTY PUBLIC ART COLLECTION
TUCSON, AZ, APRIL 19, 2023 – The Arts Foundation is pleased to announce that the artist team, Jessica Gonzales and Rock ‘‘CYFI’’ Martinez are near completion of the Rillito Flood Control Mural, located on the North bank of the Rillito River in Tucson, AZ.
“We are so happy to share our completed mural, ‘Tracks and Trails’, with the community,” said Jessica and CYFI. When we were developing this piece, our goal was to create an immersive, visual narrative that celebrates the Rillito River and its surrounding ecosystem. Through a collaborative effort and blending of our artistic styles, the work honors the symbiotic relationship between wildlife, vegetation and the humans that call this place home. We used a hyper real color palette and a high level of detail, contrast and texture to create a sense of illusion, intended to physically draw visitors in as they journey down the trail. ‘Tracks and Trails’ is meant as both a symbol of unity and resilience and reminds us of our shared commitment to protect this natural resource for generations to come.”
Three soil retaining walls have been completed on the north bank of the Rillito River near the Tucson Racquet & Fitness Club. These walls serve as a surface for the expansive 4000 square foot mural, visible from Rillito Bend Neighborhood and the Chuck Huckelberry Bike Loop.
How to access mural location:
Community Park • Natural Resource Park
3974 N. Tucson Blvd. • Tucson AZ 85716
Park Hours: 6 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Rio Vista Natural Resource Park | Official website of the City of Tucson (tucsonaz.gov)
About Jessica Gonzales
Jessica Gonzales is a Tucson based painter, muralist, designer and Artistic Director whose vision and personal voice can be seen and heard clearly through both her works on canvas and on the walls she paints as a muralist. Raised in Germany within a military base community, her work is distinctively her own. Much of her imagery is filled with lyrical portraits of women, often local, as well as rich color, bold pattern, and contrast, both visual and conceptual.
About Rock Martinez
Rock ‘‘CYFI’’ Martinez is an International Aerosol Artist, with over 20 years of experience painting large surfaces, Commercial Buildings and Private spaces. From commissions to relevantpublic tributes, Rock brings creative solutions to neighborhoods around the United States. Working across cultural boundaries of the challenges communities face today, Rock brightens city streets with his larger than life murals. His skills are known for pushing ideas to extremes and unlocking public art awareness.Rock is based in Minneapolis with studios in the Twin Cities and Tucson, AZ.
About the Arts Foundation
The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and funding agency with a mission to advance the artistic expression, civic participation, and equitable economic growth of our diverse communities. Through forward-thinking, accountable leadership, the Arts Foundation works to affect systemic change that fosters an accessible, diverse, inclusive, and equitable local arts community.
As the designated local arts agency, the Arts Foundation provides arts and cultural development across Southern Arizona for individual working artists, artist collectives, ensembles, and nonprofit organizations through grant programs, professional development opportunities and public art management for the City of Tucson and Pima County.
The work of the Arts Foundation is made possible through generous support from the City of Tucson, Pima County, Arizona Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and individual donors. Our service area includes all counties and native sovereign nations South of the Gila River, including 372 miles along the US-Mexico international border in the South and along the 590 mile stretch of the Gila River, which flows west from the New Mexico border to the Colorado River.
