100% Otero murals project uses art to the build community
The French Impressionist Edgar Degas told us “Art is not what you see but what you make others see.” 100% Otero, a part of the 100% New Mexico initiative, has launched a murals project using public art displays to increase public awareness of the 100% New Mexico initiative and the need to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), trauma and social adversity.
100% Otero is working to ensure 100% of families and residents have access to ten vital services for surviving and thriving. Survival services include medical/dental care, behavioral health care, food, housing, and transportation. Thriving services include parent supports, early childhood learning, community schools, youth mentors, and job training. 100% Otero is comprised of ten teams, each focusing on one of these areas. The murals in Otero county will reflect each of these service sectors and the community in which the mural is painted.
Artists began work on the mural in Chaparral, New Mexico this week. Jazmin Saenz, an El Paso artist who grew up in Chaparral and graduated from New Mexico State University (NMSU), is leading the Chaparral mural project. Saenz solicited ideas and drawings from interested students at Chaparral Middle and High Schools. Saenz and the students are now painting their design on an outside wall of the Chaparral Fire Station at 500 East Lisa Drive.
To reflect their community and personal experiences in the mural, students included images of a family holding hands, scenes from their environment such as the Franklin and Organ Mountains, desert wildlife, national flags, and local symbols.
Work will soon begin on the Alamogordo mural on the north and west walls of The Counseling Center at 1900 East 10th Street. Kevin Baker, Tularosa High School Visual Arts Instructor and free-lance artist designed the Alamogordo mural that will cover the corner of the building.
Baker began creating large-scale paintings at age 19, creating theater backdrops. He holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from Adam's State University with an emphasis in Studio Drawing, Studio Painting, Studio Sculpture and History and earned his teaching certification from Metro State College in Denver. Baker is a founding member of the Tularosa Art and History Council and has several murals and signage paintings around the region in places such as Glencoe, Ruidoso, and Tularosa.
Baker designed a mural telling the 100% Otero story. It is a story of young children being supported, educated and inspired to grow into young healthy adults who are able to achieve their life goals. He depicts children in a cardboard boat evolving into a sophisticated modern starship. The children are the designers, pilots, and passengers to the new frontier. These travels take place in a landscape true to the area, including a bit of White Sands. The starship is a real NASA prototype that will one day be used to take people to, from, and back to the moon or beyond.
Once the work begins, Baker will invite Otero County students to assist in the painting.
The 100% Otero Murals Project began with local stakeholders identifying muralists and artists from across the county, educating them about the mission of 100% Otero and asking for their project ideas. These creative residents were encouraged to engage young people in the mural, making it a mentoring event. After reviewing the submissions, artists were chosen and work has begun. The Chaparral and Alamogordo murals will be completed this summer. It is the hope of 100% Otero to have murals in every community in the county.
The mural design, implementation, and community celebration are designed to engage residents and increase public awareness of the county's challenges and opportunities. Signage will be developed to share the story of each mural, the vision of 100% Otero, and how the ten service sectors contribute to our health and safety.
The 100% Murals Project brings together artists of all ages, each painter and muralist with a story to share about growing up with challenges and opportunities. The Murals Project celebrates local creativity and is a powerful tool for engaging the public. Because each mural is created locally to reflect the community where it is painted, it instills a sense of community pride. Because local students help paint the mural, a sense of ownership is developed. Each mural is an invitation for families to engage in community service and learn about the power of art and culture.
Since much of the work of the 100% Otero initiative is long-term and may not be immediately visible, the murals are a tangible way to show movement and steps toward progress. They are not abstract. The artful expression on a wall is something you can see and touch. The mural is a signpost, guiding residents from the world of "we can't fix things" to "anything is possible with creativity."
These murals are more than artwork; they are projects that share a powerful message about the importance of working together to take care of one another. Everyone. Everywhere. 100%.
If you would like to help paint the Alamogordo mural, email Cally Finnegan at cally.finnegan@100otero.org and she will put you in touch with the artist.
100% Otero is sponsored in part by the Anna Age Eight Institute, Con Alma Health Foundation and area partners. If you would like to make a financial contribution, you may do so online at https://cfsnm.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create?funit_id=2751 or by mailing a check to Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico, ATTN: 100% Otero, 2640 El Paseo Road, Las Cruces, N.M. 88011.
Through the beauty of these murals, Otero County residents will see that although we live in a society with traumatized people, together we can find a way through adversity and provide our children with the future they deserve.
This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: 100% Otero murals project uses art to the build community
