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diggMural chronicles mission to Mars
The UA students of art professor Alfred Quiroz have put the finishing touches on an out-of-this world project. And though murals in Tucson have often memorialized Latino life, the subject of this project looks way beyond Earth.
The young artists spent the fall semester designing the largest mural in Tucson, a 20-by-60-foot area that covers the exterior south wall of Phoenix Mars Scout mission's Science Operations Center, 1415 N. Sixth Ave. The center will serve as mission control for about 250 scientists and engineers when the Phoenix Lander touches down on Mars in May 2008.
The exploratory device will be the first to dig into Martian polar soil, through which scientists hope to learn more about the Red Planet's climate, geology and water history.
The mural depicts the mythological god of war from which Mars derives its name, the Phoenix lander and other Mars-related elements. An artistic rendering of the mythological phoenix bird symbolizing rebirth is also shown.
Quiroz, a teacher at UA for 17 years, says this is the biggest mural project he's worked on, one that helped to bring together the university's art and science departments.
"There's been a push in the College of Fine Arts for the fine arts to start interacting with other departments in the University of Arizona, and I thought, 'Well, here it is.'
