TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In a sunlit alley of the El Presidio Historic District, one of Tucson’s oldest and most historically significant neighborhoods, three artists are working on what they call more than a mural — it's a legacy. Pen Macias, Jessica Gonzales and Camila Ibarra have spent weeks weaving research, history and three distinct voices into a single, massive mural dedicated to women’s contributions to Tucson. I met up with them at the mural site and asked about their work, they all agreed: “It’s been a blast.”
VIDEO: Check out the video below from when I stopped by to speak with the trio today:
They tell me this has been a project focused on collaboration — a creative chemistry the trio say made the project flow. “It’s been easy,” Gonzales replied. “A relationship is good when it’s easy and it flows. There’s not a lot of conflicts.”
First Look: See a mockup of the complete mural below:
Spanning the entire side of the two-story building at W. Washington St. and N. Court Ave., the trio say the mural will be complete in about two weeks. But the group’s biggest hurdle, they said, wasn’t timeline but the scale. Translating a sweeping concept into a proportional, on-the-wall sketch proved daunting. “The scope of this is so massive,” Macias said. “Getting this whole sketch up, everything proportional, was definitely a challenge. But once we had that sketch going, we could just get in there and do what we do.”
Their approach was deliberate: they held a planning meeting days before beginning, mapped potential obstacles and divvied up responsibilities. That prep helped them move from individual practice to a synchronized team process. "We tried to bring up whatever obstacles we could face and tried to plan for it, which I think helped," said Ibarra.
But what they’re most proud of isn’t the size or the technique, but the research and intention behind every element. The artists say they documented what each component of the design means and how it ties back to Tucson’s history, surprising themselves with the depth of their findings. "We really did our research, and we really dove into the history of Tucson to create this design; I'm really proud of that aspect," said Ibarra.
In a city rich with visual storytelling, the mural promises to fill a gap — a public, permanent tribute to women’s often-unseen contributions. And the way it was made, the artists say, is part of the point: collaboration, shared ownership and a message that endures long after the paint dries.
“Three women coming together to create this is incredible on its own,” Gonzales said. “We all have our own set of skills and our own voice. Being able to let each of our voices shine and to say this was completely created by women, I think is pretty incredible.”
