Mercer Mortuary Art on Flickr.

Rose Johnson Mural/Mercer Mortuary
Southwest Corner of 16th St. & Thomas Road. Phoenix, AZ

I know this was covered before, but I am in love with the artwork found on this building and shot this angle just recently.

Mercer Mortuary is a funeral home located in the heart of Central Phoenix. I’ve often wondered why this mortuary has a bright colored and expressive mural covering its exterior.

The mural was painted in 1998 by a well known Phoenix artist named Rose Johnson. According to an article in The Phoenix New Times, the mural represents scenes of urban diversity and neighborhood struggles. The Greater Coronado Neighborhood Association commissioned Johnson to create the mural in an effort to reduce blight and crime in Coronado neighborhoods.

Johnson passed away in Bali, May of 2009 at the young age of 48. Johnson and 26 other people died after drinking an native alcoholic drink laced with Methanol.

See more about Rose Johnson’s work here: www.tempe.gov/arts/publica

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