(Tucson, AZ) Artist, craftsman, and performer Joe Pagac, opens a new window has brought murals to life all across Tucson, including RoadHouse Cinemas, Charro Vida, Hotel McCoy, and Epic Rides, among many others. The Library is proud to feature his newest work at Kirk-Bear Canyon Library.
Pagac was selected by the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona, opens a new window and the mural was funded by the Friends of the Kirk-Bear Canyon Library, opens a new window.
The approximately 800 square foot mural at the north end of the building features an accordion-shaped wall of corrugated metal decorated with anti-graffiti paint. A whimsical cast of characters—from unicorns and bears to bobcats and quail—adorn the wall. A vibrant rainbow sprouts from a book in front of fluffy clouds and a familiar desert landscape; a happy-go-lucky squirrel chases an acorn nearby a bear lounging with a book; a lizard, butterfly, and frog share a story, while a family of quail walk nearby. One can't help but smile after seeing the mural. It is a welcome addition to public art featured at many libraries, including El Rio, Oro Valley Public, Valencia, and Wheeler Taft Abbett, Sr., among others.
Pagac says, "I really enjoy painting whimsical murals that are bright and colorful and bring a smile to people’s faces. Being someone who grew up in Tucson, I really love the desert and the flora and fauna that are unique to it. I really enjoy incorporating them into my murals. I also love reading and grew up going to the library all the time. It’s wonderful to have an opportunity to give back to the community in a way that brings all of these different loves together. It’s been wonderful talking to all the people who are walking by to get books and return them. I’ve already had multiple people bring me gifts of homemade food so I haven’t had to cook lunch or dinner all week."
For more information about Joe Pagac, visit his website, opens a new window, or follow him on Facebook, opens a new window and Instagram, opens a new window. Better yet, get outside and take a tour, opens a new window of his murals across town.
