Órale Mural

Gaby Hernandez, Executive Director of Órale asked me to design and paint a mural for their downtown Long Beach offices that reflects the organizations mission, goals, and community members. We collaborated on how to visualize a all of their work while also creating a mural that can also move and grow as the organization does.

Design:

My design is inspired by the close-knit neighborhoods of Long Beach. Each tile of the mural represents a person, activist, action, or aspiration. Arranged in a grid, the tiles evoke the aesthetic of papel picado, combined with a stylized graphic design. The proximity of the tiles symbolizes the closeness and impact we have on each other as a community.

Process:

Creating this mural posed an interesting challenge: how to design a mural that not only visually meets the aesthetic requirements of the organization but also has the potential to grow and evolve with it.

To address this, I chose a mosaic tile design. This approach allowed me to incorporate various painting methods, including screen printing and stenciling. Using repeating patterns and meaningful icons, I drew cultural inspiration from the bold stylistic designs of Mexican papel picado and ceramic tiles.

Material:

The mural was painted with Artex Nova Color Acrylics on Polytab mural fabric. The Polytab fabric enabled me to work on the mural off-site in my home studio and then install it on-site over a few days.

Since the mural needed to be potentially removable, I had to adapt my installation techniques. I used Elmer's School Grade Glue. By experimenting with the adhesive quality of the glue and the lightweight, porous nature of the mural fabric, I ensured the mural adhered to the interior wall. The Elmer's glue is strong enough to hold the mural in place while allowing for potential removal at a later date.