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In the 100 years since Arizona's statehood, countless visual artists have made an impact on local culture through their work. Some of Arizona's most memorable artists were born here, some traveled through (and stayed for a while), and others chose to make Arizona home. 

Until February 14, we'll list 100. Here are today's 25:

First Row: Joy Navasie, Julianne Swartz, Kate Breakey, Kate Cory, Kade Twist

photo by Claire Lawton (2012)

Mural by Rose Johnson

​If you take a drive down 16th Street in Phoenix, you might notice a few coats of fresh paint on sections of the Mercer Mortuary building at 1541 E. Thomas Road. 

The mural was originally painted by local artist Rose Johnson and a group of students in 1998. It's in her signature style; large, stylized figures of all colors and races overlap. Their hands carry a waving rainbow flag, form peace signs, and release white doves across eight panels that wrap around the building. 

The mural was (and is) a symbol of peace and unity that was painted long before the area became known as Calle 16, where bright murals by local artists pop up on a regular basis.

Almost 14 years after Johnson finished the mural on Mercer Mortuary, the paint is chipping, and tags occasionally cover the faces and blocks of pastels.

It was on one of her daily commutes to work that a Phoenix resident named Rebecca DeWitt noticed the mural's deteriorating state and decided to make a few phone calls. 

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In the 100 years since Arizona's statehood, countless visual artists have made an impact on local culture through their work. Some of Arizona's most memorable artists were born here, some traveled through (and stayed for a while), and others chose to make Arizona home. 

Until February 14, we'll list 100. Here are today's 25:

First Row: Ellsworth and Emery Kolb, El Mac, Emily Long, Emmett Potter, Frank Lloyd Wright 

Kiki Smith

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The museum's spring opening is a celebration of new exhibitions and a guaranteed hot spot for local artists and art supporters who spend the evening mingling (and previewing what they'll likely come back to see when the museum's not as busy).

One of the most prominent -- and outspoken -- artists on SMoCA's spring roster is Kiki Smith, the noted feminist artist and daughter of late architectural designer Tony Smith.

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In the 100 years since Arizona's statehood, countless visual artists have made an impact on local culture through their work. Some of Arizona's most memorable artists were born here, some traveled through (and stayed for a while), and others chose to make Arizona home. Until February 14, we'll list 100.

Here are today's 25:

Top row (from left to right): Alan Bur Johnson, Allen Dutton, Andy Hadle, Angela Franks Wells, Angela Cazel Jahn

"No Place" by Mike Kelley, currently hung in the Phoenix Art Museum's Katz Wing

He was a student of John Baldessari, and his work is included in The Phoenix Art Museum's contemporary collection (pictured above), as well as the upcoming 2012 Whitney Biennial in New York.