Granite Mountain Hotshots mural features the men, their work, their impact on Prescott
PRESCOTT — A new mural honoring the Granite Mountain Hotshots was unveiled Wednesday on the side of the Prescott Chamber of Commerce, two days before the 10-year anniversary of the 2013 tragedy that killed 19 firefighters.
Designed by Arizona artist Katia Von Kral, the collage-style mural is broken up into three sections featuring portraits of the men in addition to telling the story of what they did as hotshots, ranging from the tools they used for firefighting to the creed they lived by.
Von Kral also presented each family with multiple portraits of their hotshot to take home with them.
"It was really important to me that the families understood the sense of giving" at the core of her intentions for the project, Von Kral said.
The photo chosen for the portrait of fallen hotshot Wade Parker is one of his sister Carrie's favorites. The shot is a close-up of her brother in a grey Boston Red Sox hat, pulled from a group shot of all of the Parker siblings celebrating their father's birthday — the last time she saw her brother in person.
Parker lives in New York but said that the outpouring of community support after the tragedy has helped her family immensely. Coming up on the 10-year anniversary, she said the emotions are intense but the community backing is just as strong as ever.
"It's just nice to know what they did — they laid their lives down and they died with their boots on," Parker said. "It's a beautiful thing that everyone still supports them."
Prescott Mayor Phil Goode, Arizona Sen. Ken Bennett and Prescott Fire Chief Holger Durre all spoke ahead of the unveiling as various state and local officials were scattered throughout the audience.
"We mourn, we recognize and we commemorate," Goode said. "And we always remember."
Von Kral initially brought the mural idea to Prescott more than a year ago. By the time the project was approved by various city boards and the City Council, the 10th anniversary was rapidly approaching.
She originally planned artwork about one-third of the size of the current mural when she pitched the idea, but city leaders jumped at the opportunity and eventually offered her a large space on the side of the Chamber of Commerce.
Because the building is historic and the adjacent lot could be developed in the future, the mural was actually painted on large metal sheets that will be affixed to the wall while limiting alterations to the original structure.
"There were definitely days where I was like, 'I don't know if this is going to happen,'" she said.
Before starting, Von Kral made several trips to the Granite Mountain Interagency Crew Learning and Tribute Center to learn as much as she could about the men, their work and their importance to the community. She also emphasized the importance of fire education and fire safety, something many of the hotshots' families have advocated for in the decade since their loss.
"I wanted to make sure I encompassed what seemed to be the most important aspects about the hotshots," she said.
The mural also provides an educational opportunity through scannable QR codes that explain what visitors see on the wall, from descriptions of their tools and vehicles to the iconic alligator juniper tree that the crew saved in the Doce Fire a week before they died.
"We hope that as visitors come by and read and view the mural that they will be touched in a way that they will remember that as I stand, there are hundreds and hundreds of hotshots out there at this very moment on the fire line," John Marsh, father of Eric Marsh, superintendent of the Granite Mountain Hotshots said before the reveal.
While anything revolving around the Granite Mountain Hotshots will always be tinged with sadness, Von Kral hopes this artwork will honor and continue their legacy.
"I want there to be some level of healing," she said.
Perhaps more than anything, Von Kral hopes people will take away a lesson from the words of Eric Marsh, superintendent of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, when he was first seeking to establish his crew:
"Be a hotshot in everything that you do."
Reach the reporter at LLatch@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mural honoring Granite Mountain Hotshots unveiled in Prescott
