Second Biennial of Muralism and Public Art
Cali, Colombia, November 11-21, 2014
Mosaic for the First International Urban Mosaic Intervention - Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile, 2014
Theme: Magic Garden
Mural on the front of the Municipality building in Puente Alto
I had the honor of participating in the First International Mosaic Intervention in Puente Alto this January 13 - 24, 2014. Over 60 artists from 22 different countries were invited to participate.
The theme was "magic garden," focused on plants and animals native to Chile and/or our respective country. The yellow flower, the mimosa, on the left, was part of the pre-drawn design that was made to unite all the different works. I started with this flower, and I enjoyed stylizing it and making it my own.
On the right I added a morel mushroom, Minnesota's state mushroom and gourmet fungi. I chose a more painterly style to bring out its volume and holes.
In the middle is Minnesota's state flower, the pink lady slipper. Here I experimented with mixed media - with iridescent glass tesserae and fuchsia beads.
Each day of work was unbelievably inspiring. I had a wonderful time working with and learning from fellow artists. Thank you Isidora Paz Lopez for organizing this event - I am hoping we can make another one in the future!
The theme was "magic garden," focused on plants and animals native to Chile and/or our respective country. The yellow flower, the mimosa, on the left, was part of the pre-drawn design that was made to unite all the different works. I started with this flower, and I enjoyed stylizing it and making it my own.
On the right I added a morel mushroom, Minnesota's state mushroom and gourmet fungi. I chose a more painterly style to bring out its volume and holes.
In the middle is Minnesota's state flower, the pink lady slipper. Here I experimented with mixed media - with iridescent glass tesserae and fuchsia beads.
Each day of work was unbelievably inspiring. I had a wonderful time working with and learning from fellow artists. Thank you Isidora Paz Lopez for organizing this event - I am hoping we can make another one in the future!
Centro Mural
From August - October, 2013, I worked with muralist Gustavo Lira García at Centro, a non-profit organization building community for Latinos in Minneapolis. The mural is located in an interior hallway, a space that lent itself well to the chronological flow of the design. The design was determined based on conversations with the youth and Centro directors. In addition, both Centro's Raices youth group and its senior citizens were invited to help paint.
Many times that we painted, people passing through the hallway stopped to discuss the mural and its significance. This is the beauty of a mural – it opens the door to conversation about the culture and history – the Raices (roots) – of a community. It is my hope that this mural continues to provide an educational resource for community members throughout the different stages of their lives: from the toddlers of Centro's Siembra day-care program to the seniors.
Many times that we painted, people passing through the hallway stopped to discuss the mural and its significance. This is the beauty of a mural – it opens the door to conversation about the culture and history – the Raices (roots) – of a community. It is my hope that this mural continues to provide an educational resource for community members throughout the different stages of their lives: from the toddlers of Centro's Siembra day-care program to the seniors.
We the People - South High Mural 2012
We the People
May - September 2012
South High School students, guided by professional muralists Gustavo Lira, Greta McLain, and Shannon McEvoy,
critically reflect on the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution and express what true democracy means to them.
May - September 2012
South High School students, guided by professional muralists Gustavo Lira, Greta McLain, and Shannon McEvoy,
critically reflect on the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution and express what true democracy means to them.
"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
Check out our Facebook Page! - http://www.facebook.com/SouthHighMural2012
Drawing on Cold Spring
Mural Project
From March to October 2011, I collaborated with Casa Guadalupe Multicultural Community in Cold Spring, Minnesota, to create a culturally-inclusive visual celebration of the town's history. The project was an integral part of my Undergraduate Honors Thesis, Latino/Latin American Muralism and Social Change: A Reflection on the Social Significance of the Cold Spring Mural, in which I studied three types of muralism: the state-sponsored of the Mexican Mural Renaissance, the antiestablishment murals of the Brigada Ramona Parra in Chile, and the community-based murals of Chicanos in the United States.
The Cold Spring Mural united people from different cultural groups as we designed and painted the mural together. Today it continues to brighten the town and remind people that we all have a common goal. Indeed, at the right end of the mural, Cesar Chavez holds a book with is iconic quote (written in both Spanish and English):
The Cold Spring Mural united people from different cultural groups as we designed and painted the mural together. Today it continues to brighten the town and remind people that we all have a common goal. Indeed, at the right end of the mural, Cesar Chavez holds a book with is iconic quote (written in both Spanish and English):
The Process is the Most Important...
Read about the mural's process at my blog: Drawing on Cold Spring!
Links to videos:
Explaining the Original Design: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKijBEMe4ts
St. Cloud Times visit: 17 August 2011:
http://www.sctimes.com/VideoNetwork/1113211470001/Cold-Spring-s-new-mura
Links to videos:
Explaining the Original Design: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKijBEMe4ts
St. Cloud Times visit: 17 August 2011:
http://www.sctimes.com/VideoNetwork/1113211470001/Cold-Spring-s-new-mura
Process Photos...
Mural Inauguration
Installation - Artifacts from the Cold Spring Mural Process
_I am interested in stories; I love to listen, especially to
stories of the Latino/Latin American culture. Being bilingual, I have the ability to
understand these stories in Spanish.
For many people, understanding stories in a foreign language proves much
more difficult. Art transcends this language barrier; it taps into a method of
communication words cannot reach.
Public art can be an especially effective method of
communication. For my Honors Thesis
Project organizing a community mural in Cold Spring, MN, in partnership with
Casa Guadalupe Multicultural Community. The process involved interviewing
community members (in Spanish and English) for design input and inviting them to
paint. This artistic experience
gave culturally diverse participants a means of expressing their stories in a
creative and inspiring way.
The process has by far been the most important aspect of this
mural, from the planning to the painting. My favorite memories are the questions
that arose among the volunteers during the painting sessions.
Questions build conversations, and conversations build
relationships. More than in any
other project I have ever done, I have experienced in this mural the connections
and interdependency that we have with each other.
This mural could not have happened without the help and cooperation of so
many others.
In this installation I explore art as artifact, framing the mural image with tools
marked with history of the creative process. These objects have been infused with
the stories of the volunteers that used them. I also use individual cans of paint to build a larger, unified structure. I view this structure as a metaphor for the many individuals that worked together on the mural. As we built up the mural, we built each other up as well. The relationships that this mural built are part of the legacy that will live on long after we have finished painting.
stories of the Latino/Latin American culture. Being bilingual, I have the ability to
understand these stories in Spanish.
For many people, understanding stories in a foreign language proves much
more difficult. Art transcends this language barrier; it taps into a method of
communication words cannot reach.
Public art can be an especially effective method of
communication. For my Honors Thesis
Project organizing a community mural in Cold Spring, MN, in partnership with
Casa Guadalupe Multicultural Community. The process involved interviewing
community members (in Spanish and English) for design input and inviting them to
paint. This artistic experience
gave culturally diverse participants a means of expressing their stories in a
creative and inspiring way.
The process has by far been the most important aspect of this
mural, from the planning to the painting. My favorite memories are the questions
that arose among the volunteers during the painting sessions.
Questions build conversations, and conversations build
relationships. More than in any
other project I have ever done, I have experienced in this mural the connections
and interdependency that we have with each other.
This mural could not have happened without the help and cooperation of so
many others.
In this installation I explore art as artifact, framing the mural image with tools
marked with history of the creative process. These objects have been infused with
the stories of the volunteers that used them. I also use individual cans of paint to build a larger, unified structure. I view this structure as a metaphor for the many individuals that worked together on the mural. As we built up the mural, we built each other up as well. The relationships that this mural built are part of the legacy that will live on long after we have finished painting.