Painted Desert Inn Painted Desert Inn Painted Desert Inn is a lodge complex in Petrified Forest National Park, in Navajo County, eastern Arizona. It is located off of Interstate 40 and historic U.S. Route 66, overlooking the Painted Desert. The inn's lodge building and adobe guest cabins−"casitas" were designed in the Pueblo Revival style, by National Park Service architect Lyle E. Bennett and others from the Park Service Branch of Plans and Design. Construction was carried out by Civilian Conservation Corps builders and artisans over 1937–1940. A portion of the main lodge building was remodeled from the 1920s inn on the site, known
Painted Desert Project on his personal blog. Painted Desert Project The Painted Desert Project is a privately funded public art initiative which connects artists with communities through mural opportunities on the Navajo Nation. The Painted Desert Project is the brainchild of Chip Thomas, a doctor, photographer, activist and long-time reservation resident. The Painted Desert Project began in 2012 when Chip Thomas invited several world-renowned street artists to the Navajo Nation for short-term residencies, during which the artists immersed themselves in the local communities. By requiring the artists to embed themselves within the local communities and engage in extensive research, it is hoped the