The goals of the Las Cruces Public Art Program include involving community members in public art creations, such as murals. While also aiming to beautify existing elements in our parks, streets, and other neighborhood structures.
Murals have long been a go-to for community projects due to their capacity for lots of participants, they provide instant gratification for those involved to see the art being created, and they are lots of fun to paint. Parks and Recreation have had summer youth programs that are responsible for murals on Meerscheidt Center, Porter Dr. pool, and Lions Park among other places. Cruces Creatives lead a paint-by-number event that created the mural on the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library’s amphitheater wall. Most recently, we had a mural event in the parking lot wall near the one of the City’s youth centers on Tornillo St.
Projects like these take time to come to fruition. First, we had to find a space and gather input from the residents in that neighborhood regarding the art they wanted to see in that space. We landed on the space fairly quickly, choosing the parking lot wall because the blank cinder block expanse was just screaming for art and is located near one of the City’s senior centers and a youth center complex. We conducted a survey of neighborhood residents giving them examples of people-based art, native animal life, or abstract design. The majority voted for an abstract design that could be interpreted in many ways; animals came in a close second.
Next, we launched a call for qualifications for local artists to apply to be the lead artists for the project. Artist Jesus “CIMI” (pronounced See-Mee) Alvarado, a well-known muralist based in El Paso, TX was chosen to lead the event from the pool of artists who applied to the call for artists. He has created several beautiful murals in El Paso and has experience working with youth on art projects. He wanted the experience of creating something beautiful in Las Cruces, although abstract is a little outside of his usual aesthetic.
CIMI submitted a colorful abstract butterfly design in his proposal for the competition. He explained that the butterfly isn’t just a beautiful image, it’s a metaphor for human experiences. “The inspiration for this design is the community and also the place that we’re at.” CIMI said. “You know, we talk about butterflies in the way that they change, that’s the way I want to represent the youth here.”
For CIMI, the best part of the mural making process is the research and design phase. This is the part where the mural starts to take shape because of the inspiration of the community. CIMI also enjoys the participation aspect of the community mural projects. His work isn’t just about painting a wall— it’s about people, about giving everyone a moment to feel ownership over something beautiful, and a reason to say, “I helped create that.”
In anticipation of the event, he said, “When people show up, they can expect a lot of fun! We’re going to be out here painting, making this place more beautiful, and hopefully people are going to be ready to work. We’re gonna give you a brush, a roller or something so that you can participate and make it your own.”
When asked what participants can take away from the experience of creating a mural or what message the finished mural might carry, CIMI didn’t hesitate. “I hope people feel proud, you know and feel proud of this community. And feel proud of what they did and their contribution to creating a mural that belongs to the community.”
When community participates in creating public art, it gives them a sense of ownership and pride. The artwork produced also adds to the identity of the neighborhood and can tell a story unique to its location. We hope this mural creates a bright space for those using the parking lot and brings the positive impact of art to all who see it.
