Titled Light of the World (Luz del Mundo),  this mural was made in collaboration with summer camp students from Lighthouse Christian School (LCS). Ranging in grades from 1st-7th grade, more than twenty students painted the mural. During the first weeks we talked about social justice issues and imagined a new world, a new neighborhood, a new school, and a new home. The students drew images and described them with brief sentences. One of the students, Marcio (we call him Marcito), drew a lighthouse on a beautiful wavy ocean full of patterns. Marcito’s drawing inspired my design which was laser cut and then painted by the students with their own patterns.

According to color theory, objects don’t have color, instead they reflect a light that appears to be a color. When I imagine a world without light, I see a world without color and a world without color is dull and lifeless.  All of the students were from different races, ethnicities, countries and backgrounds. Through color and pattern, this mural celebrates diversity and brings to light the students’ unique identity.