Arizona’s largest outdoor mural at Park Place Mall

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) – Park Place Mall is undergoing a beautiful transformation, turning part of its exterior into a vibrant space for mall visitors.

Local muralist Jessica Gonzales is making history with her 26,000-square-foot mural, Sonoran Skylines, the largest outdoor mural in Arizona.

To provide some perspective, the famous Joe Pagac “Whale mural” at Grant and Campbell covers 6,000 square feet.

Park Place Mall manager Brighid Dawson says the project began seven weeks ago after they began looking for local artists to create a mural that would celebrate Tucson’s uniquely rich culture and heritage.

Gonzales was hired for the job and had several ideas for the mural, but was most inspired by saguaros.

“I was really thinking about things that represented Tucson and the Sonoran Desert that had a big, big 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 conversations about them, about their importance and how iconic they are. So that’s where it started.”

She talks about what inspired the name Sonoran Skylines.

“The city is made up of, yeah, buildings, infrastructure and things like that,” Gonzales said. “But then also these very iconic tall, monumental saguaros, so Sonoran Skylines just came together as an embodiment of both. things.”

Gonzales and her husband, Daykin, painted eight hours a day, day and night. The duo only took two days off during the entire process.

“We really put our whole soul into this,” Gonzales said. “You know, we work really hard, it’s very physically demanding work, you know?”

Gonzales tells me it’s surreal being home and appreciates all the support from the community.

“We really feed off that energy and enthusiasm from everyone. That definitely fuels us when we’re tired and can’t get enough coffee. You know, it’s just like all this positivity. It uplifts us and just keeps us going,” Gonzales said.

The official unveiling of the mural will take place Saturday at Park Place Mall. If you are interested in attending, find the details here.