Current ExhibitJul 13–Nov 30
The Barrio Bug
The botanical bug is back, barrio style!
A summer favorite is back with the Barrio Bug! This Tucson classic car is parked right outside Nuestro Jardín, our Barrio Garden, and adorned with illustrations by Tucson-based artist, Sue Betanzos. Our gardening team scoured Tucson for small, local plant nurseries to find plants grown in the barrios that honor the traditions of Mexican-American backyards, based on those you might find in Tucson’s oldest, historic neighborhoods.
Sue says, “The design for the Barrio Bug, Alebrije Jackalope, evolved from the origins and meaning of the Dia de Muertos and the Mexican proverbs ‘El Amor no tiene fronteras’ and ‘Recordar es vivir’. The Jackalope is a fusion of animals, a nahual spirit guide of the southwest. Her horns are inscribed with Zapotec symbols. Imagining all of her life details is what brought her to visual reality.”
A long-time friend of the Gardens, Sue created our very first giant photo-op Monarch butterfly for the grand opening of Butterfly Magic in 2004. She also illustrated the children’s book, My Backyard Friend, still available in the Garden Gift Shop and online as a digital download.
