In August of 2018, I was lucky enough to work on an amazing community-originated mural project with families at Evergreen Vista - Mercy Housing in Olympia, WA. The project consisted of four 2-hour art-making sessions. Kids of all ages and their families were invited to share a meal at the community center and dive into a creative exploration around the question: How does the food in your life reflect your personality, family and culture?
I was so inspired and excited by the conversation and drawings that came out of this food-focused theme. All of the sudden, food was coming to life! Tacos, pineapples, and cups of coffee grew eyes, mouths, hats, and hands. Two middle-school aged participants designed drag Queen potatoes wearing rainbow bras and fantastic makeup. One parent drew beautiful scenes of fields illuminated by sunsets and prompted the group to think about where our food comes from. Her child drew two ladies with long, flowing hair and triangle skirts. She asked Mom to draw designs in their skirts, and proudly said, "Mommy, it's you and me!"
After the first two sessions, I took the drawings home so I could cut them up and collage them into a cohesive scene. Making sure I had one drawing from every participant, I then sketched a mock-up for the final mural and took it back to the group so we could plan colors and make changes as needed. In the last two sessions, we set up a 2' x 4' wooden panel and painted the collective food-themed scene. It is always really important to me to make my community-art projects accessible to children and adults of all ages, so I helped participants figure out places in the mural where they could feel comfortable adding their touch. It was extremely messy and very fun. By the end of the project, we had completed a very colorful and imaginative farm picnic scene that gave participants a sense of ownership and connection to the community center and the arts. The project allowed us all to reflect on the challenges of making healthy food as a working parent. Working with the kids inspired us all to imagine a world where our food is sentient, has its own personality, and secret life.
This mural was part of the Resident Voices Project through Evergreen Vista - Mercy Housing.