Courtesy of Kira Olsen Photography

Those who follow artist Hugo Medina on Facebook probably remember when he invited artists to paint 80 wooden panels for a huge project he kicked off at the Phoenix Festival of the Arts. During the three-day event last December he asked local creatives to paint 80 panels and placed blank panels in-between, inviting anyone -- artist or not -- to create something. There were only two rules: it had to be positive and it had to be inspired by downtown Phoenix.

See also:
Creative No. 70: Hugo Medina
Phoenix Artists Jay Atherton and Ann Morton Give Hance Park a Creative Facelift

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vimeo.com screenshot of El Mac's mural in Utah

International creatives at Rapt Studio teamed up with Adobe and commissioned El Mac (who, full disclosure, we'll always consider a local artist -- no matter where he moves) to paint a large scale in Adobe's main atrium in its Lehi, Utah campus.

Adobe describes the mural, which features a young girl drawing, as a representation of "the ideal that Adobe's employees and those who use Adobe's products approach creativity with the same childlike innocence."

See also:
- Paisley Owners Set Up New Spot on Grand Avenue ... and Paint Over a Mural by El Mac
- 10 Favorite Street Art Sightings in Phoenix
- David Quan on the Chocolate Factory

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It's about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we're losing track of the times we've said, "Whoa, when did that go up?", we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town -- their artists, their hosts and their inspirations.

Mural by Amanda Atkins, collage by Lauren Saria

The mural at the Black Theatre Troupe Center for the Performing Arts

Artist: Amanda Adkins

Location: Black Theater Troupe Center for Performing Arts

Thanks to some friendly bartering with the Black Theatre Troupe Center for the Performing Arts' next-door neighbors, Washington Street just got a little bit brighter. A wall facing the building's parking lot and main entrance, which technically belongs to the building next door, now features a mural from local artist, Amanda Adkins.

See also:
- Five Must-See Arts and Culture Events This Week in Metro Phoenix
- Black Theatre Troupe Moves to New Building on Washington Row

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It's about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we're losing track of the times we've said, "Whoa, when did that go up?", we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town -- their artists, their hosts and their inspirations.

Photos by Claire Lawton, mural by Joseph "Sentrock" Perez and Mikey Jackson

Over the weekend, Phoenix-raised and now Chicago-based artist Joseph "Sentrock" Perezand painter Mikey Jackson got to work on 15th Avenue and Grant Street.

Tim Phelps of iCoat, a creative concrete studio in downtown Phoenix, approached Sentrock to transform the building's north-facing wall. Sentrock drew a few sketches and called a couple friends and a few days later, " " was complete.

See also:
- "Los Tres Grandes": A Collaborative Tribute to the Great Muralistas on Calle 16
- Aaron Chamberlin Says Plans for Downtown Restaurant Include Knocking Out Exterior Wall -- and Sentrock's Mural
- Mikey Jackson in Jackalope Ranch's 100 Creatives

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It's about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we're losing track of the times we've said, "Whoa, when did that go up?", we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town -- their artists, their hosts and their inspirations.

Photos by Claire Lawton, mural by Francisco Garcia, Joseph "Sentrock" Perez, Averian Chee, Jeff Slim, PRUF, KEISR, SINEK, Martin Moreno, Armando, DETOR, Angel Diaz, DUROK, SRVNT, and Ser. V One

If you make it out to Barrio Cafe this week, we recommend a margarita and a quick walk around the building to see the latest collaborative effort from 14 local artists.

Francisco "ENUF" Garcia's a painter who grew up in Phoenix, left for L.A., and was back in town for the holidays. He approached Silvana Salcido Esparza, who owns Barrio Cafe and spearheads a mural project along 16th Street in downtown Phoenix, with an idea.

See also:
- Calle 16: A Mural Project
- Tag, You're Art: Local Street Artists Are Tagging Over Murals and Calling It Art
- Should Artists Paint Murals for Free?

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mural by Joseph "Sentrock" Perez, photo by Claire Lawton

Last November, Joseph "Sentrock" Perez gave the now-defunct Downtown Phoenix Public Market a pretty sweet paint job, that you better check out in the next few days -- according to Aaron Chamberlin, who will open a farm-focused cafe in the space in 2013, the mural will be replaced by windows.

"Trust me, we're huge fans of murals and public art in downtown Phoenix," says Chamberlin, who hired DOSE and Hector Ruiz to paint a mural on the inside of his uptown restaurant, St. Francis. "But the plans for the space include windows where the mural is now ... and I'm hoping to get the mural put back up at the end of the building."

But many members of the community voiced their concerns and dismay this afternoon after Sentrock posted a photo with a caption: "new owner has plans to go over my mural, sucks for me but also this citys [sic] art culture. If you know this guy, please tell him since he is destroying a mural, he should help see another one created. Lms if you agree!"

See also:
- Joseph "Sentrock" Perez on the Downtown Phoenix Public Market
- Downtown Phoenix Public Market Urban Grocery and Wine Bar to Close May 12; Wednesday/Saturday Market and Food Truck Friday Will Continue
- Aaron Chamberlin Will Open Farm-Focused Cafe in Urban Grocery Space

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Editor's Note: Since the publishing of this story, Carrie Marill would like to add that she and a group of volunteers will be repainting the mural tonight during First Friday.

Mural by Carrie Marill

If you make it out to First Friday tonight, you might notice a missing mural. Under the white paint on the west-facing wall of Dougherty Wholesale Floral Co. on Second and Roosevelt streets in downtown Phoenix is work by local painter Carrie Marill, which was brutally defaced Thursday night (the same night she gave a talk about her current exhibition at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art).

It was quickly painted over by Marill and members of Roosevelt Row the following morning.

Marill, painted the brick wall in March. The black and white mural of a woman on an old-school cruiser with a striped top and a hefty baguette in her bike basket is what the Marill describes as an homage to the late, iconic street artist Margaret Kilgallen, who died in 2001.

See also:
- Jackalope Ranch's Mural City
- Tag, You're Art: Local Street Artists Are Tagging Over Murals and Calling It Art
- Artist Carrie Marill's Studio Combines Consciousness and Community

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It's about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we're losing track of the times we've said, "Woah, when did that go up?", we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town -- their artists, their hosts and their inspirations.

photo by Claire Lawton

Artists: Lalo Cota and Thomas "Breeze" Marcus

Location: Angels Trumpet Ale House

Title: Untitled. Mat and Sharry Englehorn commissioned the local muralists to cover the south-facing wall of their bar, which opened in August.

See also:
- Pablo Luna, Thomas "Breeze" Marcus, and Lalo Cota to Open Por Vida Gallery on 16th Street
- Lalo Cota and Breeze on The Bee's Knees
- Jetsonorama and Thomas "Breeze" Marcus on Inspiration, Audience, and Rezolution

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It's about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we're losing track of the times we've said, "Woah, when did that go up?", we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town -- their artists, their hosts and their inspirations.

Mural by Sarah Hurwitz

See also: Sarah Hurwitz in Creatives 2012
See also: Sarah Hurwitz's Phoenix Proper
Location: five15 arts
Artist: Sarah Hurwitz

If you're Downtown for tonight's Third Friday art walk, be sure to stop by the large map on the side of five15 gallery on Roosevelt Row to check out the latest work by Phoenix painter Sarah Hurwitz.

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It's about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we're losing track of the times we've said, "Woah, when did that go up?", we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town -- their artists, their hosts, and their inspirations.

Photos by Lauren Saria, murals by Julius Badoni

See also: Angel Diaz's Quetzalcoatl Twins on 16th Street

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But compared to the meaning packed into the series of murals Julius Badoni painted inside a building on the Arizona State University campus, a thousand words is nothing.

Spanning four panels inside American Indian Student Support Services at ASU Tempe, the murals use vivid colors and symbolism to voice the artist's interpretation of the political struggles of American Indians. Badoni, who spends the majority of his time working with activism groups, has been working on the mural for the last two years -- and still has more work to finish.

Get more photos of the murals after the jump.

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