'Vivir Sin Fronteras' in Berkeley
BCC students, local artists and volunteers collaborate on mural project
Mercedes Martin
Issue date: 5/14/09 Last update: 5/18/09 at 12:18 PM PST
Section: Arts
A new community mural is being put up in West Berkeley. All East Bay residents who believe in using art as a method of educating and liberating should definitely stop and admire at this collective piece by Berkeley City College students, youth from the Hope Mural Project, and local talented artists and volunteers. The mural was created under the direction of instructor/activist/artist Juana Alicia Montoya.
The name of the piece is called 'Vivir Sin Fronteras,' or in English: "Living without Borders." One can't miss seeing it with the vibrant colors on the side of Mi Tierra Food Market, the Mexican grocery store on the corner of San Pablo Ave and Addison in Berkeley. Muralists will continue to paint until the rented scaffolding needs to come down at the end of May.
One of the many painters is Jose Gonzalez, a recent Berkeley High School graduate and first-year student at BCC. He said he wasn't really trying to do the college thing, but one of his friends dragged him along on an art class field trip to San Francisco for the mural tour.
Gonzalez was inspired, and when he met Montoya he figured he had to join the mural class. He claims he has never painted before, but he now considers taking paint more seriously in his life. (If you saw his work you would have thought the kid was lying and had been painting for years.)
I asked him, "Which part of the mural have you dedicated the most time on?" Across the top there's a strip of images that look as though they've been taken from different people's family photo albums--a picture of a traditional Indian wedding, Caesar Chavez and his immigrant worker movement, a snapshot of an Arab family, and a shot of a youth who has passed away. "We wanted to express the diversity in the community through these images," he said.
Gonzalez said that he didn't personally know all the young males he was painting (except for Salvador) but he said he went to Berkeley High School with them or knew someone who knew them and felt it was his duty to insure that they live on through this mural.
Octavio De La Paz heard about the mural through Montoya's Facebook photo posting of a colored pencil design layout of the mural. When he heard Fridays were open to community artists he joined in with his brushes ready. I asked him, "What is your connection to the mural?" He said, "The title really pulled me to it."
Being born in Mexico and raised in the U.S. has left him feeling not completely accepted by either group, participating in some strange limbo dance for identity. "Legally, on paper, I'm Mexican, but culturally, I'm American." The strong woman on the right side breaking the chains, fences, and other psychological fronteras carries a "beautiful fierceness" about her that, regardless of what ethnic background one associates with, can see.
Working on this mural project has motivated De La Paz to create a proposal for a mural at the Malcolm X Elementary School in Berkeley, where he works as an after-school instructor.
It's a rewarding feeling to see the people from the neighborhood walk by, drive by and bike by while trying to take in the image even if it was just for one breathe. One man yelled from his bike as he zoomed by, "Thanks for beautifying my neighborhood!"
If you want to get involved with the project, stop by on Community Artist Paint-in Fridays--the last two are on May 15 and May 22 between 10 a.m. -- 6 p.m. Ask for Dave or Juana Alicia for instructions. At this point, they are looking for artists who have experience painting and could help with certain details.
If you're interested in participating in the next mural, take the Mural Design and Creation class at BCC in the fall semester. If you can't help with you're painting skills, donations are greatly appreciated. Please email: juanaaliciam(at)gmail(dot)com.
I want to make sure I make a quick shout out to all the amazing artists who have spent countless hours over the last few months just to bless this wall: Morgan, Arturo, Amy, Dave and all the West Berkeley students.
The name of the piece is called 'Vivir Sin Fronteras,' or in English: "Living without Borders." One can't miss seeing it with the vibrant colors on the side of Mi Tierra Food Market, the Mexican grocery store on the corner of San Pablo Ave and Addison in Berkeley. Muralists will continue to paint until the rented scaffolding needs to come down at the end of May.
One of the many painters is Jose Gonzalez, a recent Berkeley High School graduate and first-year student at BCC. He said he wasn't really trying to do the college thing, but one of his friends dragged him along on an art class field trip to San Francisco for the mural tour.
Gonzalez was inspired, and when he met Montoya he figured he had to join the mural class. He claims he has never painted before, but he now considers taking paint more seriously in his life. (If you saw his work you would have thought the kid was lying and had been painting for years.)
I asked him, "Which part of the mural have you dedicated the most time on?" Across the top there's a strip of images that look as though they've been taken from different people's family photo albums--a picture of a traditional Indian wedding, Caesar Chavez and his immigrant worker movement, a snapshot of an Arab family, and a shot of a youth who has passed away. "We wanted to express the diversity in the community through these images," he said.
Gonzalez said that he didn't personally know all the young males he was painting (except for Salvador) but he said he went to Berkeley High School with them or knew someone who knew them and felt it was his duty to insure that they live on through this mural.
Octavio De La Paz heard about the mural through Montoya's Facebook photo posting of a colored pencil design layout of the mural. When he heard Fridays were open to community artists he joined in with his brushes ready. I asked him, "What is your connection to the mural?" He said, "The title really pulled me to it."
Being born in Mexico and raised in the U.S. has left him feeling not completely accepted by either group, participating in some strange limbo dance for identity. "Legally, on paper, I'm Mexican, but culturally, I'm American." The strong woman on the right side breaking the chains, fences, and other psychological fronteras carries a "beautiful fierceness" about her that, regardless of what ethnic background one associates with, can see.
Working on this mural project has motivated De La Paz to create a proposal for a mural at the Malcolm X Elementary School in Berkeley, where he works as an after-school instructor.
It's a rewarding feeling to see the people from the neighborhood walk by, drive by and bike by while trying to take in the image even if it was just for one breathe. One man yelled from his bike as he zoomed by, "Thanks for beautifying my neighborhood!"
If you want to get involved with the project, stop by on Community Artist Paint-in Fridays--the last two are on May 15 and May 22 between 10 a.m. -- 6 p.m. Ask for Dave or Juana Alicia for instructions. At this point, they are looking for artists who have experience painting and could help with certain details.
If you're interested in participating in the next mural, take the Mural Design and Creation class at BCC in the fall semester. If you can't help with you're painting skills, donations are greatly appreciated. Please email: juanaaliciam(at)gmail(dot)com.
I want to make sure I make a quick shout out to all the amazing artists who have spent countless hours over the last few months just to bless this wall: Morgan, Arturo, Amy, Dave and all the West Berkeley students.
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