Tucson is dotted with vibrant landmarks, from the red glow of The Loft Cinema marquee to the retro Silver Saddle Steakhouse sign, each a cultural marker of home.

One local artist has miniaturized some of that beloved nostalgia, and it's on display at Tucson’s Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures through January.

Drawing inspiration from his hometown of Nogales on both sides of the border, Jorge Ruiz is celebrating the cultural landmarks that defined his upbringing, or what he calls “the faces of the city,” in his newly unveiled art installation.

The exhibit, “Signs of Community,” pays homage to some of Ruiz’s cherished memories of Tucson and Nogales, celebrating the intricacies of life and the persistence of community through time.

“I grew up in Nogales in the ’90s … and we would sometimes go to the American side for shopping,” Ruiz told attendees at a member preview last week. “You would see these very beautiful stores and signage of stores. They were not chain stores, they were local names.”

Ruiz said his goal was to replicate not just past designs, but also “the rust and decay” — and the beauty of structures that endure despite it.

“They reflect a moment in time that’s gone now, like a golden era of Nogales,” Ruiz said. “I didn’t grow up to live that, but I saw a shadow of it. I tried to pay homage to that lasting memory of the community in a small town.”

Spotlighting local artists has always been important to Mini Time Machine Museum founders Patricia and Walter Arnold, who opened the museum in 2009. The museum helped Patricia Arnold’s decades-long miniature collection bloom into an educational and interactive experience for the community.

Signs of Community features notable spots like Rocco’s Little Chicago Pizzeria and Midtown Liquor & Deli. Formally trained as an architect, Ruiz learned to make intricate models and applied those skills to the experiences that fueled his creative motivations.

“I was at a point in my life when I was unemployed and very bored,” he said. “It was like a shining moment of, ‘Oh wait, I have free will.’ And I started making miniature signs from Nogales.”

Ruiz completed half of his pieces last year and has been working since January to create the Tucson-specific miniatures.

“I am a part of this community, and you are, too, and I try to think of it as a rainbow,” Ruiz told attendees. “A rainbow only works because all of the colors are shining at the same time and at their own frequency.”

Attendee and former Loft Education Director Shawna DaCosta said she loved seeing her former workplace miniaturized and celebrated.

“Everyone’s very excited about it because it’s celebrating and elevating different identifiers for people who have always been around and always patronized those businesses,” DaCosta said.

The museum is hosting a “Meet the Artist” event with Ruiz on July 31 from 1 to 3 p.m., during which attendees will get a sneak peek at a piece in progress as Ruiz demonstrates his techniques and methods.

“This exhibit is more than just showing some local talent — it is a love letter to Tucson,” said museum curator Emily Wolverton. “These are more than just places on a map. These are the places where we have celebrated birthdays, where we had first dates, where we had our first job. And for some of you who have lived in this region your whole lives, there might be a lifetime of memories associated with this exhibit.”

Wolverton said one of the things she appreciates most about Ruiz’s work is his ability to distinguish between simply looking at something and truly seeing it.

“He knows that imperfections are the best storytellers,” she said. “All of his scrapes and dents and peeling paint and all of the repairs — they tell the story. And he does not try to cover them up; he celebrates them.”

Ruby Wray is a journalism and creative writing major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at rubywray@arizona.edu.

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