We're creating a vibrant and festive mural to celebrate animals and we want you to be part of the art!
Why a Furry Friends' Mural
To grow the Furry Tails community and broaden our donor base by raising awareness of what we do, increase funding for free sterilizations, reduce the abandonment of animals and make Oaxaca a kinder place for cats and dogs!
About Mexico's Mural Traditions
Mexico’s mural traditions emerged as a groundbreaking public art movement in the 1920s following the Mexican Revolution, when the government commissioned artists to create scenes on schools, government buildings, and other public spaces. Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros are early artists who transformed walls into powerful storytelling tools. Murals abound throughout Oaxaca and are living expressions of cultural memory, resilience, and community. Following in this tradition, we seek to celebrate the beauty of our furry friends and to punctuate what we can do to make Oaxaca a kinder place for them.
The Artist
We are super excited to have the incredibly talented Sophy Tuttle as our mural artist. Sophy began painting murals in Oaxaca in 2013 when she lived here and since has created murals around the world. Her art brings together her passion and love of nature and animals and she loves giving animals life in urban spaces.
Design
The mural design concept will feature up to 30 cats and dogs marching and scampering in a traditional Oaxacan desfile (parade), creating a joyful celebration of the animals we love.
Location
The 645 square foot (85 ft. long) mural will be painted on a pedestrian residential alley between Llano Park and Barrio Jalatlaco in the Oaxaca City Center. The alley is free of vehicles so visitors will have plenty of opportunities to stop, admire the mural and take photos.
When
Sophy will create the mural over several weeks in January 2027. A festive public opening and ribbon-cutting celebration will follow its completion. We would love for you to join the celebration and to share photos of your furry friend on the mural with friends and family.
The two ways you can be part of the art and support animals!
Purchase a spot on the mural
What we need from you to purchase a spot!
At the time you donate to secure a mural spot, you’ll need to send 2-4 clear photos of your animal (jpeg preferred) including both front and side/profile views. These will help Sophy create an artistic rendering of your pet.
We’re also requesting a short story and/or a special behavior or characteristic about your animal. These will appear on the project page on our website alongside your animal’s mural image, giving you a chance to tell the world a little about why he/she means so much to you.
There are three mural-spot donation levels based on the size of your animal’s image on the mural – small, medium, or large. Each level supports a corresponding number of animal sterilizations, so your donation does more than put your animal on the mural; it directly helps animals and their families.
$225 U.S/3,750 MX = 15 animals sterilized.
$450 U.S./7,500 MX = 30 animals sterilized.
$1,500 U.S./25,000 MX = 100 animals sterilized.
Donate to help cover mural expenses
Perhaps you don’t have an animal to portray on the wall and just want to contribute. Or maybe you have airline miles you can donate for Sophy’s flight; she’s making a substantial in-kind contribution of her time to paint the mural.
We need to raise $1,500 to match the $1,500 donated by the Furry Tails Board to cover the materials and labor costs. Donations beyond this amount will go to sterilizing more animals.