Photo by Niba DelCastillo

Photos by Ramon Aguirre

Located at McKinley & 3rd St.

The Estria Foundation is a non-profit that seeks to “create social change through the creation of art” on a global a scale. In collaboration with the Black Mesa Water Coalition, they organized this mural in downtown Phoenix as part of “Water Writes”, a series of 10 murals in major cities across the world that shed light on social and environmental issues. Dozens of artists came together to complete the wall in less than two weeks with help from friends, family, and children.

The mural depicts the stark differences of what energy consumption/water usage means for those of us living in the Valley and for Indigenous communities to the North. On the left, images of coal mining operations and refineries set a backdrop to the golf courses and demanding lifestyle that urban residents enjoy, but that the environment and many communities pay dearly for. On the right hand side are more hopeful pleas for what the future could look like– wind farms, solar panels, and native foods are intertwined in urban and rural settings.

For more on how water usage in Arizona disproportionally effects Native communities, read a previous interview with Jules Badoni here.

Artists involved include Angel Diaz, Jeff Slim, Kim Smith, Edgar Fernandez, Jules Badoni, Sinek, Ramon Aguirre, Averian Chee, Lalo Cota, and more. Other organizations involved include PUENTE, Tonatierra, Phoenix Revitalization Corporation, and the Downtown Phoenix Partnership.