Week 1 • Week 2 • Week 3 • Week 4 • Week 5 • Celebration

Founded by Tanya Aguiñiga in 2016, AMBOS (Art Made Between Opposite Sides) is an art collective that highlights bi-national artists, exhibiting work made from both sides of the border. They aim to support and provide a voice for migrant communities, further conversations about identity, document the border, and build support systems.

This summer, Pável Acevedo, a printmaker and muralist from Oaxaca, and Katie Mejia, a Salvadoran American artist from Los Angeles, will come to HOLA visual arts to plan a mural with students. Over the next 5 weeks, students will collaborate to design characters, finalize a mural design, paint, and engage in discussions regarding migration and community.

Read more about AMBOS: http://www.ambosproject.com/about

Read more about HOLA: https://heartofla.org/

WEEK 1

BUILDING THE NEST

The 5-week summer program started with an introduction by Pável Acevedo about himself and the project they would be working on over the course of the month. The students learned that they would be helping him design a mural for the community, based around animals.

The class really began, however, by playing a game! Students broke up into threes: two students formed a nest with one student as a bird. When all the groups were formed, one student would be purposefully left out.

To start the game, that student yelled out bird, nest, or storm. On bird, all "birds" would leave their nests and try to find another home, on nest, the students would need to find another classmate to pair up with, and on storm, all groups broke up, shifted around, and formed new trios. The game intended to prompt conversation regarding community, turbulence, and exclusion.

Next, the students carved block prints of either a bird, bat, or nest. After printing their stamps on paper, they journaled about what made up their identity, what they hoped to bring to community, and what made a safe space.

WEEK 2

FLUORESCENT FLOWERS

Pável passed out images of flowers for the group to make stencils, which would ultimately be used on the mural. The kids picked between California poppy or the lupine flower, both native to California (as well as other parts of North America)!

The group then moved onto outlining the flowers onto tracing paper, which they then transferred to bristol. They took their time cutting out the flowers to finish their unique stencils!

After a quick break, the group moved outside to practice spray painting with a stencil. Pável lead them through the technique, and soon the students had an array of bright orange and purple flowers.

The flowers prepped them for week three, where they would keep the stencils in mind when deciding on a composition for the mural!

WEEK 3

COMMUNITY IN PRACTICE

To begin class, the students discussed how murals can connect community and immortalize stories. Pável showed the sketch for the mural and asked for input on where their flower stencils should be placed, taking time to note how their placement would affect where the viewer's eyes would be drawn to within the piece.

Next, the students continued to practice spray painting flowers to prepare for their work on the mural. They experimented with color and paint placement. Each flower was unique, though all were vibrant!

WEEK 4

STRIKE A POSE!

For the penultimate week of the program, the students chose flowers native to Mexico, Guatemala, Bangladesh, Sudan, El Salvador, the Philippines, and Korea to make stencils that would be on the mural. These would reflect the diverse members of the community surrounding HOLA, including the families of our students. After conducting research on the significance, pollinators, and indigeneity of their plants, the group took a stroll over to the mural location in Lafayette Park!

After seeing how big the mural would be for themselves, they began brainstorming how to incorporate their flowers into the design. Some would be on the model's pants, in the book, and in a pond to the side! They also posed for photos that would act as references for the fairy-like flower people that would be sprinkled around the piece.

With flowers and models chosen, the students are ready to assist on the mural for their final week!

WEEK 5

MAKING MURALS

For their final class, the students headed out to the mural to doodle on the freshly primed wall. This will act as a guide to transfer the sketch onto the giant wall, helping Pável, Katie, teachers, interns, and everyone who lent a hand to paint the mural.

The model for the mural was a student in the class wearing a cloak inspired by the swainson's hawk, a bird that migrates from North America to Argentina. The class drew notable shapes on the wall, including triangles, stars, and cartoon characters.

With the wall prepped and doodles in place, the AMBOS class came to an end. The work on the mural, however, continued throughout the week, including spray painted flowers done using stencils created by the students!

CELEBRATION

ALL BIRDS ARE WELCOME HERE

To celebrate the work done by AMBOS and the students, a performances and workshops were held the Friday after class! There was live music from Marimba Flor Hortensia Jolom Konob', silkscreening led by Pável and an HOLA intern, and clay bird making led by the AMBOS team.

Along with food, art, and music, the progress on the mural could be admired by all in attendance. This was a fun end to the program, where community could be felt from the laughter in the air.

Mural progress pictures: