Triumph Over Tragedy was unveiled Friday, Jan. 15, kicking off Roosevelt Row’s UNCONTAINED outdoor project featuring four emerging Latino and Indigenous artists.
The UNCONTAINED mural project provides a platform for Latino and Indigenous artists to showcase their stories on a shipping container in the Roosevelt Row Arts District, and Navajo artist Jesse Yazzie was selected as the first to display his work.
When Yazzie got out of prison a few months ago, he had to mainly rely on his family to get back on his feet. His sister, who knew another muralist named Isaac Caruso, introduced the two artists and Yazzie assisted Caruso with a couple of projects. It was Caruso who encouraged Yazzie to apply for the UNCONTAINED project.
Once selected, Yazzie used this opportunity to send a message of hope and recovery. This project allowed him to reflect on the time he spent in prison and worked as the inspiration for his mural.
Creating art in downtown Phoenix is “like a dream” to Yazzie, and he “feels incredible” that he got this opportunity “so quickly after he got out of prison.”
“I hope that people get that it’s not your mistakes that define you. It’s how you respond to those mistakes, and it’s all about recovery for me. I hope that people can look at the mural and feel the excitement that I have, the passion that I have for this. I hope that people that have been to prison, see it as a sign of hope that they can do something more with their time and create a better life if they want it,” he explained.
While his time in prison influenced “Triumph Over Tragedy,” his Native American background played an important role as well. Reservations were a big part of Yazzie’s childhood. Growing up as a Native American, he observed and learned the many skills he possesses today from his people, and his ancestry has influenced his many designs.
“Native Americans always seem to know how to draw or they’re always enthused with artistic culture. I definitely draw a lot from seeing other Native American artists out there,” he said.
Other local Indigenous artists and designers have already been moved by “Triumph Over Tragedy.”
Paul Molina is a local artist who designs graphics and illustrations for small businesses in the Gila River Indian Community. His background is in visual communications and digital media. He said he is Akimel O’otham, Pee-Posh, Quechuan, Pawnee, and Hispanic, and explained what “Triumph Over Tragedy” meant to him.
“It means that we can persevere from the struggles in our own lives. I was drawn to this mural by the imagery and the deeper meaning behind it all,” Molina said. “There is a season for everything and time can be used wisely or lost. Then days pass where it seems like we can never go back to where we used to be before the struggle.”
The mural reminds Molina of a “struggling human being trying to make it into the world and everything is unfolding before their eyes.”
Yazzie’s journey is inspirational for many but especially for his younger brother Jake Yazzie, who watched him paint and helped in the process of creating the mural after being separated for 7 years. Jake said he enjoyed getting closer with him throughout the project and gained a new direction in life.
“I learned what kind of person he is and his new direction in life that eventually would inspire me to follow in his footsteps with art. His art piece means a lot to me. It gives me a humbling perspective of a person with a not so fortunate life story,” he said.
As for Yazzie’s future, he said he has already begun to apply for other murals and plans to work on more projects with Caruso. The UNCONTAINED mural artwork is located south of Roosevelt on First Avenue and the next mural will be unveiled on April 15, 2021.
Contact the reporter at mstaubs@asu.edu
