The Artist Behind the Mural

Tucson’s historic 4^th Avenue is home to many local treasures—including eclectic gift shops touting local goods, popular downtown restaurants, and a thriving bar and nightlife scene. In true Tucson fashion, it is also home to many murals that adorn the walls of local businesses. Now, a new mural has joined that landscape: the Bank Like You Live Here mural, a collaboration between Vantage West and local artist Maxie Adler.  

Located near the intersection of 8^th Street and 4^th Avenue, the mural is a love letter to Tucson, blending the sprawling desert landscape with black and white illustrations representing local landmarks, restaurants, and businesses. A film reel and a cowboy hat represent the thrill and adventure of Old Tucson. A diamondback rattlesnake slithers across the mural as an homage to Rattlesnake Bridge. A grad cap, laptop, and beaker celebrate the renowned educational programs at the University of Arizona and Pima Community College. As a part of our  Bank Like You Live Here campaign, the mural represents the idea of reinvesting in the community you love—supporting local businesses, artists, and the future of Tucson.  

If the mural’s distinct style looks familiar, it’s because Maxie Adler has left her creative mark across Arizona. She has also painted murals for the Mission Garden near Downtown Tucson, the Blenman Elm Neighborhood, the Tucson Holiday Ice Rink, and the Tempe Public Library. In addition to painting, Adler enjoys exploring a variety of creative mediums, including weaving, dying, and printing, with her artwork displayed and promoted in various exhibits and news outlets across the state of Arizona and parts of Mexico. 

We caught up with Adler to learn more about her background as an artist and her inspiration for the Bank Like You Live Here Mural: 

Vantage West (VW): What inspired you to become an artist? 

Maxie Adler (MA): When I was younger and people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d say “art teacher” because I didn’t know you could be an artist for a living. It wasn’t until senior year of high school that I really acknowledged my own creativity, talent, and excitement towards the arts, but I still didn’t know I was “becoming an artist.”  

I remember the project that opened this door for me. My teacher instructed us to design or draw however we wanted on a folder for class—just to explore. This was one of the first projects in an art class where the instruction wasn’t about the fundamentals, but instead about exploration and expression.  

As I see it, we are all artists. It’s just finding the right invitation—and most importantly courage—to allow yourself to create.  

Another major focus and inspiration for me is the natural world and this resilient desert I’m lucky enough to call home. I take my cues from the land, the water, the plants, and the animals. Above all, they inspire anything I create. 

VW: Can you share a bit about your education, background, and the steps that led you to who you are today? 

MA: I studied Fibers at Arizona State University and got my BFA in 2015. I was in an oil painting class when the Fibers professor came into the room and asked who wanted to paint on textiles instead of canvas. That day, I changed my degree from painting to fibers, not knowing what it entailed. I fell in love immediately with weaving and surface design in my first weaving class, which massively informs my drawing style and use of color that people see in my mural work. 

After college, I didn’t immediately dive into a career as an artist. I worked briefly in tech and then worked for nonprofits doing environmental advocacy. It was during my time as an intern for the Center for Biological Diversity that I completed my first mural, which honors endangered species of the borderlands whose habitat is sliced by the border wall. Ultimately, I found that a focus on my creativity makes me the best version of myself, and through this prioritization I can intersect all my interests and continue to be an advocate for the environment. I committed to being an artist full time in 2021.  

Now, I include wildlife in all of my murals! In the Bank Like You Live Here mural, there is an ocelot near the legend. This ocelot was recently documented in mountain ranges both east and west of Tucson, which means it crossed the Santa Cruz River! The ocelot and the river are on the map, as well as our mountain ranges, because they’re a vital part of our home. 

VW: Do you have a favorite piece you have created? What makes it stand out to you?  

MA: One of my favorite murals I’ve done is located at Mission Garden. I’m proud of this piece because I got to work with youth artists from the Pascua Yaqui Boys and Girls Club in collaboration with the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area and Mission Garden. This project is an intersection of my work with the community and my work as an artist. I volunteer with local coalitions whose mission is to protect the Santa Cruz River and Tucson‘s Birthplace (the land at the base of Sentinel Peak, or ‘A’ Mountain). The mural at Mission Garden celebrates the 4,000 years of agricultural history in the Tucson basin. It was amazing to share this experience with youth artists and design a piece that honors this history and the land. 

VW: Your murals have a distinct look that combines elements that are in color and black and white. Tell us about this style and how you developed it. 

MA: I like to think of my style as representing the spirit of the object more than the object itself. This style developed from blind contour drawing—a practice of drawing an object or person with one continuous line while only looking at them and not the paper. I started doing this and then going back to the drawing, thickening lines and adding design elements. I love the way it captures movement, and the singular drawn line is like weaving with a continuous thread. I’ve enjoyed developing and playing with this textured, line-heavy style. I love the contrast and power of black and white, so I’ve gravitated towards it in all my work. The color backgrounds help the figures pop.  

VW: Tell us about your work on the Bank Like You Live Here mural—what was the process like to design and then create the mural? 

MA: Designing this mural was a big challenge with a big reward! I’m incredibly happy with how it turned out. I loved designing the individual icons. I was encouraged to create each icon in my own style and experience of the place. Because I was born and raised here in Tucson, I have many fond memories of each of the places we included, and it was fun to play around with how to interpret them.  

Tucson is a vast city with awesome places to visit near and far, so it was a puzzle to give each the proper space and flow. This is the first map I’ve designed and I had to release the part of me that wanted to make it “accurate” and instead lean into the whimsical nature of my style.  

I am extremely grateful for the support, feedback, and ideas from the teams at Vantage West and BRINK. They really helped me bring the design to the next level and it was fun to have extra eyes for feedback and brainstorming. 

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The next time you find yourself on 4^th Avenue, be sure to keep an eye out for the mural and see how many locations you can name before looking at the legend! How many have you visited? Is there one on the map that you haven’t been to yet? It might be an opportunity to find a new adventure or experience. 

Want to learn more about Maxie Adler and her work? Be sure to visit https://www.maxieadler.com/