A New Chapter for Tucson’s Murals

Stewarding a local mural archive into its next chapter.

There’s a particular kind of care involved in picking up someone else’s project; not to own it, but to keep it going. That’s what this is.

Many of you know I’ve been steadily building out systems across several community efforts: archiving, supporting, organizing, and making space for stories that deserve to be held with intention. One of those projects, TucsonMurals.com, is finally live. This week, I’m excited to share what’s been taking shape behind the scenes.

The Tucson Murals project began in 2006, when Randy Garsee, a longtime Tucson news anchor, started photographing murals and posting them to a Blogspot site. His entries were simple - photo, location, maybe a few words - but together they created something enduring. After Randy’s passing, Jerry Peek picked up the work, expanding the blog with structure, location data, and attention to detail. Later, David Aber joined in, sharing hundreds of photos and entries until his own passing earlier this year.

Together, they created one of the most comprehensive records of public art in Tucson.

Now I’m stepping in… not to replace or redo their work, but to carry it forward.

The new site, TucsonMurals.com, is a companion to the original archive. It introduces new features: a mural map, submission forms, artist highlights, and curated features designed to invite fresh eyes and deeper appreciation. The original Blogspot site remains active and unchanged, and I’m committed to keeping it accessible. Over time, I’ll begin preserving that archive in a more permanent form—but for now, this launch marks a new layer rather than a full migration.

This is an invitation to explore. To look closer. To notice what’s been here all along.

Tucson’s murals tell stories in every color, shape, and corner of the city. This site exists to help those stories be seen and shared. I’m here as a steward to support the work already done, make room for new contributions, and ensure this visual history continues to grow.

You can explore the new project at TucsonMurals.com. The submission form is open, the Instagram is starting to bloom, and new content will be added regularly.

To Randy, Jerry, and David: thank you for the foundation.
To Tucson: thank you for the walls.