TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Park Place Mall is undergoing a beautiful transformation, turning part of its exterior into a vibrant space for mallgoers.
Local muralist Jessica Gonzales is making history with her 26,000 sq. ft. mural, Sonoran Skylines, the largest outdoor mural in Arizona.
To offer some perspective, the well-known Joe Pagac "Whale mural" at Grant and Campbell covers 6,000 sq. ft.
Park Place Mall manager, Brighid Dawson, says the project began seven weeks ago after they began searching for local artists to create a mural that would celebrate Tucson’s unique rich culture and heritage.
Gonzales was hired for the job and had several ideas for the mural, but was most inspired by saguaros.
"I really was kind of considering things that represented Tucson and the Sonoran Desert that had a very like, large presence themselves," Gonzales said. "I had a few different ideas, but I kept coming back to the saguaros and my husband and I kept having these conversations about them, about their importance and how iconic they are. So that was where it started."
She shares what inspired the name, Sonoran Skylines.
“The city is made up of, yes, like buildings, infrastructure and all of that," said Gonzales. "But then also these very iconic tall, monumental saguaros, so Sonoran Skylines just kind of came together as an embodiment of both of those things.”
Gonzales and her husband, Daykin, painted day and night for eight hours daily. The duo only took two days off throughout the process.
“We’ve truly put our entire souls into this," said Gonzales. "You know, we work really hard, it’s very physically demanding work, you know?”
Gonzales tells me it’s surreal to be in the home stretch and appreciates all of the support from the community.
“We really feed off of that energy and that enthusiasm from everyone. That like absolutely fuels us when we're like, tired and can't get enough coffee. You know, it's like all that positivity. It just uplifts us and just keeps us going," Gonzales said.
The official unveiling of the mural will take place on Saturday at Park Place Mall. If you're interested in attending, details are here.
——
Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
