Malinda Rising in the Streets of Phoenix

Noelle Baumeister

Pfister

Arizona State University

ENG 102
Abstract: The essay “Malinda Rising” is a piece written about the 70 by 50 foot mural located

on the wall of The Renaissance Hotel on Central Avenue and 1st Street. The large, colorful

mural is dedicated to Malinda Curtis, an influential public figure of the 20th century and the

Adams Hotel, the first luxury hotel located in Phoenix. The mural depicts Malinda’s struggle as a

black woman living in Phoenix during the 20th century. It shows her immense positive impact

on the Phoenix community with the large waves of color shown around her ominous face.

Keywords: Malinda Curtis, mural, Phoenix, Adams Hotel

 One of the best parts about going to school in Phoenix, Arizona is the endless amount of

possibilities of leisure activities to do in the city. One main destination is Cityscape on Central

Avenue. The best parts of exploring the city of Phoenix is all the murals and street art that fill up

alleyways and building walls. The most iconic mural on your walk to Cityscape is a beautiful

spray painted mural in an alleyway on Central Avenue and 1st Street. This 70 by 50 foot mural is

called Malinda Rising by Hugo Medina and Darrin Armijo-Wardle. The eye catching mural

filled with bright primary colors is placed in an alleyway on the side of the Renaissance Hotel. I

like to refer to this mural as a hidden gem because it is placed in a very discreet location, but is

so eye catching that it cannot be ignored when you walk past it. The mural, Malinda Rising by

Hugo Medina and Darrin Armijo-Wardle, serves as a reminder of Phoenix’s rich history and

radiates positive vibes out on to the streets of downtown Phoenix.

Malinda Rising is a 70 by 50 foot mural located on Central Avenue and 1st Street on the

side of the Renaissance Hotel. The mural depicts a beautiful woman's face and a building in

black, white and grey hues. Both the building and the womans face are then surrounded by bright

primary colored streak marks. The womans face is extremely detailed, exhibits shading and has

her looking off into the distance ominously. The building depicted seems to drawn as an older,

more traditional building. The mural was made with spray paint making the colorful streaks of

look like clouds. The mural is depicted to look dream like and is very noticeable due to its size

and colors. The mural catches the audience's attention with the bright vibrant colors against a

concrete wall, but once you really look at the mural the woman's face is the main emphasis of the

piece.

The mural is presented to the Phoenix community in an alleyway on the side of the

Renaissance hotel. The location of the mural is significant because of its historical value, but also
due to the physical location of an alleyway. The alleyway makes hides the mural until you come

close enough, then it catches your attention with its large size and bright colors. In addition, the

credibility of the murals artists, Hugo Medina and Darrin Armijo-Wardle, sparks interest in the

audience. Medina and Armijo-Wardle are already well known and respected artists in the street

art community, but the fact that the Renaissance hotel was also involved in the creation of the

mural adds to the credibility of the piece. The Malinda Rising mural was made in honor of the

Adams Hotel and Malinda Curtis, but most importantly it is supposed to remind people of

Phoenix’s rich history. The mural is technically a memorial to a significant person and building

in Phoenix’s history, but overall it suppose brighten up anyone who sees the murals day. The

mural provokes emotion in the audience since its meaning hits close to home depicting Malinda

Curtis, a resident of Phoenix, and one of the first luxury buildings built in Phoenix. Malinda’s

face in the mural looks as though she has been through lots of pain in her life, but the bright

streaks of color seem to show her positive effect on the people she knew. Anyone who knows of

the history of Phoenix will be reminded of both the Adams Hotel and Malinda Curtis’s impact on

Phoenix. And what sets this mural apart from regular street art all over Phoenix is the artists,

Hugo Medina and Darrin Armijo-Wardle. Medina and Armijo-Wardle are both well known and

respected street artists who are known for making meaningful murals throughout the Phoenix

area. Finally, the mural is even more meaningful due to the historical evidence embedded in the

design and placement. The Renaissance leadership and the two artist used historical evidence to

put meaning behind a piece of art. The historical context placed within the beautiful piece of art

adds meaning and sparks pride in the history of Phoenix. With all of these factors combined the

mural adds to the aesthetic of the Phoenix streets, while also reminding others of two major

aspects of Phoenix’s history.

 Malinda Rising mural was funded and created by Downtown Phoenix Inc. and the

Renaissance Hotel in memory of Malinda Curtis and the Adams Hotel. The mural is meant

to depict Malinda’s face and the Adams Hotel surrounded by flames and the colors of a Phoenix

sunset. The streaks of color that Malinda Curtis and the Adams Hotel are two very important

aspects of Phoenix’s history from the 20th century. Malinda Curtis was an outgoing, kind-

hearted, African American women who made a lasting impact on the Phoenix community during

the early 1900s. Malinda was known for being spontaneous, even running into the law a couple

of times, but overall a kind, generous woman. Malinda struggled immensely in her life, but was

still able to make a positive impact on all the people of Phoenix.The second piece of the mural is

the building under Malinda’s face. The building being depicted is the Adams Hotel was the first

luxury hotel in Phoenix, but was burned down in a fire in 1910. Medina, Armijo-Wardle, and the

Renaissance leadership decided to make a mural in dedication of the Adams Hotel, Malinda

Curtis and Phoenix’s rich history. The creators placed this mural in the exact location of the

Adams Hotel, which is where the Renaissance hotel is currently located. Coincidentally, Malinda

Curtis lived across the street from the Adams Hotel in the 20th century. It has even been

speculated that her spirit is present within the alleyway and the hotel.

All the street art within Phoenix is one of the aspects that makes Phoenix unique, but this

mural specifically comment on the history of Phoenix. The mural depicts a woman with many

troubles, but she is still able to positively impact the people of Phoenix. The Malinda Rising

mural by Hugo Medina and Darrin Armijo-Wardle adds significant value to the street art within

Phoenix, in addition to honoring the mural to significant figures in Phoenix's History.

 References

Lauren, P. (2017, June 03). Discover the Story Behind 'Malinda' - the Bold New Mural in

Downtown Phoenix. Retrieved from http://dtphx.org/2017/06/02/discover-story-behind-

malinda-bold-new-mural-downtown-phoenix/

Toye, R. (2013). Rhetoric: A Very Short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.