The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA), in collaboration with the Town of Fountain Hills, is bringing a variety of new public art installations to the community.

The new murals are being painted on select electric utility boxes along the Avenue of the Fountains and Verde River Drive in downtown Fountain Hills and celebrate themes of Fountain Hills culture, biodiversity and landscape. Four Arizona artists – Tato Caraveo, Laura Thurbon, Ignacio Garcia and Jesse Perry -- were chosen from competitive applicants to design and implement the murals. This collaborative project seeks to transform downtown Fountain Hills.

“Fountain Hills is known as an art community and is pleased to be collaborating with SAACA and the artists on the first of many placemaking projects in Fountain Hills,” said Town of Fountain Hills Economic Development Director Amanda Jacobs.

This mural series is the first collaboration between the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance and the Town of Fountain Hills.

“We are elated to partner with the Town of Fountain Hills on this extraordinary opportunity for Arizona artists to continue to embody imagery and cultural themes native to our communities through the very public expression of art,” said Kate Marquez, executive director with SAACA.

All six murals in Fountain Hills are hoped to be completed in time for their unveiling at the Fall Fountain Festival of Fine Arts & Crafts hosted by the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce in downtown Fountain Hills Nov. 10-12, 2023.

The artists

Laura Thurbon will paint a series of two electric utility boxes that will represent native birds, which will come to life with complimentary art nouveau color palettes.  Thurbon is an accomplished artist and educator.  After a successful career in Peru, she moved to America where she launched her fine art and mural business.  She has created countless varied works for both residential and commercial projects throughout the state. Visit laurathurbon.com for more details.

Phoenix-based artist Tato Caraveo will create two modern murals focusing on the native plants and animals local to the region of Fountain Hills.  As a native of the Valley, Tato said he greatly appreciates Arizona communities’ investment in the creative approach to transforming ordinary urban landscapes into community conversations. His work can be viewed at tatocaraveo.com.

Artist Ignacio Garcia is painting a mural embodying the rich and deep colors that resonate in the Fountain Hills night skies and celebrates the Town’s International Dark Sky Community designation on a single utility box. Muralist Garcia is well-known throughout Arizona and California for his 3D chalk murals and large, colorful photo-realistic murals that often play on whimsical, playful pop art ideas. His mural of Bill Walton riding a Jackalope on the side of Rialto Theater in Tucson, is one of the most photographed images of the downtown Tucson corridor. Garcia has grown to be one of the most sought-after muralists in southern Arizona, expanding his portfolio of cultural commissions in the past 10 years.  Garcia is an artistic studies graduate of the East Valley Institute of Technology in Mesa, and the Gnoman Workshop in Hollywood, Calif.  Visit his website, ignaciotheartist.com.

Local artist Jesse Perry paints a signature mural that illustrates some of the most iconic desert plants, animals, and, most importantly, the signature Fountain as the focal point of his mural. Perry is based in Phoenix and has worked as a professional artist since 2013. With more than 150 murals attributed to his name, Perry is known for his ability to bring life and energy to his artwork. Inspired by the diversity and cultural richness of the Southwest, Perry’s art often reflects the region’s vibrant colors, patterns, and landscapes. His website is shinethruart.com.