Have you noticed the murals around town? Murals help beautify our city walls and prevent graffiti artists from tagging blank walls.
Ben and Melissa Gerkin were walking in the city enjoying the Tucson Mural tour.
They say the artwork makes the city beautiful.
Many of the murals in town share stories of the people who live in the Old Pueblo and aid in graffiti prevention.
"I would rather have murals than random writing on a wall," said Melissa.
Michael Schwartz, President of the Tucson Arts Brigade, emphasizes that people love murals because they create an identity.
"They create landmarks, destinations and they bring cheer to an average day," said Schwartz.
But not every wall in the City of Tucson has a mural which in turn has a high probability rate of getting tagged by graffiti artists.
Schwartz believes that murals can be the answer to ending tagging on empty walls. Adding, "it encourages pro-social behavior."
But how much does it cost city taxpayers to clean up graffiti?
KGUN 9 learned that the City of Tucson pays $120,000 per month to remove graffiti from public property.
Schwartz says murals cost less to maintain than a blank wall.
Do you think the @artsbrigade murals could be the answer to prevent empty city walls from getting tagged by graffiti artists? pic.twitter.com/SvTtJKS3PS
— Jennifer Martinez (@Jennymartineztv) February 24, 2017
In fact, a large mural cost TAB up to $30,000 but smaller murals can cost as little as $1,000.
"It would be 2-3 months of maintenance and boom those walls wouldn't be an issue anymore," says Schwartz.
Ben and Melissa Gerkin, of Tucson, were walking in the city enjoying the beautiful murals.
Melissa says, "I would rather have murals than random writing on a wall."
Artists volunteer their time and skill to paint the murals, but TAB helps pay for supplies and the project. If you would like to donate to see more artwork in Tucson, Click here.
