After nearly two decades of tracking Tucson’s street art, longtime contributor Jerry Peek has handed off the Tucson Murals Project to local artist Dusty Reyes, ushering in a new chapter for the popular blog.

The blog started in the summer of 2006 as a side project for KOLD reporter Randy Garsee. His appreciation for Tucson and its public art inspired him to create a place where anyone could see murals they may have missed or wanted to revisit.

A few months later, photographer Peek began sending submissions to Garsee to publish on the website.

“I was riding my bicycle and saw a mural downtown. I sent photos to Randy and he posted them. Then after one or two posts, he made me co-editor,” Peek told Tucson Spotlight. “We became friends, (even though) I met him in person only a few times.”

When Garsee died in 2013, Peek took over running the blog.

“He was very nice, outspoken, and made the blog what it is with his personality,” Peek said. “He took a picture of some dumpsters that covered up murals and wrote a piece saying that this was unacceptable and that the trash should be moved to appreciate the mural.”

The blog features only murals that are free and easily accessible to the public.

For Peek, documenting them also became a form of exercise, especially in the summer, when he’d “get out before it got hot and look for murals.”

The most recent post announces a new chapter for Tucson’s mural scene, as Peek passes the blog to Reyes, a longtime admirer and president of the board at Xerocraft, a downtown makerspace. Reyes has been a fan of the blog since moving to Tucson in 2020.

“I've been into art since I was five and saw my first wall of graffiti,” he told Tucson Spotlight. “Painting on walls has always had my attention, because it tells stories about a place and not always the story that's in the picture.”

In addition to offering a platform to explore 19 years of Tucson’s art history, the archive also aims to highlight artists who might otherwise go unnoticed. Reyes plans to "make space for new artists, stories, and perspectives to be seen and appreciated,” Peek wrote in the post.

And while he’s stepping away from the blog, it’s unlikely Peek’s affiliation will be forgotten anytime soon.

“Sometimes artists will come up to me and say, ‘Are you the guy that does the mural blogs?’” Peek said.

One local artist, Rock Martinez, who goes by Cyfi, once painted a mural for Peek in appreciation of the work he received through the blog’s recognition.

In addition to the website, Peek constantly looked for ways to connect his community.

“Outside of art, I would find other events in Tucson and share them on Facebook,” he said.

With the Tucson Murals Project’s new chapter comes less frequent updates, with most posts instead published on Reyes’ new “Tucson Murals” page.

Reyes said Peek recently gifted him the domain Tucsonmurals.com, along with long-term stewardship of the original blog, Tucsonmurals.blogspot.com, which Peek had maintained for years.

Collaboration is at the heart of Tucson’s art community. That spirit is clear in the blog’s history, from Garsee’s initial posts, to inviting Peek as co-editor, and now Peek handing the blog over to Reyes.

“My long-term goal is to use the (Tucson Murals site) as a living museum for murals of Tucson and Peek’s work over the 20-plus years on his blog. I'll be showcasing photos of Jerry’s and different artists, and their work around town,” Reyes said. “I may also have guest posts in the future and I'm open to collaboration for anyone who wants to help curate and preserve this legacy.”

Macy Hernandez is a journalism and business administration major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at macyhernandez@arizona.edu.

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