The Madison Park Mural Project is a community art initiative designed to build relationships between the non-profit GREEN-MPNA, local residents, and the broader community. By hosting workshops and creating murals, we engaged residents in the artistic process, incorporating their input to design symbols that resonate with the neighborhood’s predominantly Mexican-American culture. The chosen symbols—the Jacaranda flower, Marigold flower, and Green Parrot—reflect cultural significance and seasonal change, inspired by the vibrant colors of traditional Mexican folk art. These designs also feature hidden meanings, such as a parrot wearing a necklace made of blue rays to reflect the Madison Park logo, and another with a pink lotus flower to honor the local Vietnamese community. Workshops encouraged neighbors to paint personalized medallions, fostering a sense of ownership and pride, while the murals—created with the help of volunteers—capture the community’s identity and spirit on six different walls, serving as lasting cultural landmarks that celebrate the area’s unique heritage and unity.
This year long project was generously funded by the California Arts Council’s Creative Corps Grant and distributed by the Long Beach Arts Council.
December 2023
5 x 300 foot
98 stenciled images, acrylic paint
150+ volunteers
March 2024
2) 7 x 150 foot
94 stenciled images painting with acrylic paint
200+ volunteers
April 2024
2) 7 x 150 foot
94 stenciled images painting with acrylic paint
200+ volunteers
June 2024
5 x 55 foot
47 stenciled images painting with acrylic paint
50+ volunteers
Workshops: Using a stencil, neighbors paint a medallion for themselves, a friend or for their favorite local business. These medallions are 12” birch plywood circles primed white, attached on a chain that can be hung in a window or on a screw/nail on a wall. To keep a consistent identity the same paint, stencil design and method is used. Workshops were held every other month in parks and Green-MPNA’s office.
short video on the workshops
Stencils are the perfect method for community murals. Utilizes the simplicity of a two-part stencil makes the project user-friendly and achieves a consistent outcome.
I utilized pencil drawings, watercolor sketches and acrylic painted studies to come up with the right look for the symbols that represent Madison Park. All the while being conscience to keep the artwork simple enough for non-artists to paint.
