“The Light Sees in Me the Light Sees in You”
Over the 7 months of my residency, I have had the privilege of collaborating with middle school students from Namaste Charter School in mural making to create a shared learning space. The collaboration is rooted in fostering a sense of pride. Through the medium of mural painting, we
embarked on making murals that transcends traditional education, empowering students to become active agents in their community and generating their own narratives.
I worked with 8th graders who are graduating this year. Approximately 50 students participated in creating the mural titled “The light sees in me the light sees in you.” We met monthly, considering how to unite individual and collective pride through visual representation. We began with a drawing and writing workshop focused on togetherness, and formulated the phrase ‘Together, we can.’ Students crafted a sentence reflecting the school logo: “Together we ignite.”’The light in me sees the light in you.” “Sí Se Puede.” Accompanied by beautiful flame logos that students designed.
These activities culminated in mural making. Students expressed interest in incorporating their portraits using the ‘AI Styler’ app, which generated manga images based on their photos. They autonomously selected the images to include in the mural design. On the mural painting day, there was an atmosphere of excitement and positivity. I served as both a community member and facilitator, while the students acted as producers. They eagerly participated in painting the mural, seeing themselves reflected in the process. Some images emerged organically as they added their names, logos, and phrases.
As an art educator and artist in Chicago, my role was to amplify students’ presence and foster their creativity. Art should be inclusive and accessible to all, echoing the core tenets of Mexican muralism. Coming from Chicago’s mural heritage with roots in Mexico, the students embody and cultivate a new space of Latinx mural heritage in Chicago. They understand where they came from and celebrate who they are.
