Bound Brook's Latin American community inspires train station mural

Sal DiMaggio, MyCentralJersey.com
·2 min read

BOUND BROOK – Vibrant colors and detailed designs now greet commuters as they walk through the NJ Transit station, thanks to the work of college students.

Art and design students from Raritan Valley Community College recently finished a 2,000-square-foot mural in the tunnel of the station. The mural, “Vida De el Sol y La Luna” (Life of the Sun and the Moon), was painted by eight students in six days.

Student Sarah Lopez was at the forefront of designing the mural. Bound Brook’s large Latin American community inspired her vision for the project so that the mural would “feel like it was part of the town.”

The mural, “Vida De el Sol y La Luna” (Life of the Sun and the Moon), was painted by eight RVCC students in six days.
The mural, “Vida De el Sol y La Luna” (Life of the Sun and the Moon), was painted by eight RVCC students in six days.

“Our goal with this project was to create a mural that would bring life to an overlooked space while also capturing the spirit of the community,” Lopez said. “Many of the mural's plants, flowers and animals are inspired by those that are found in Central and South America.”

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The station also welcomes many people passing through each day, which was another reason for the design.

“The larger-than-life landscape, rendered in bright, vibrant colors, brings a cheerful energy to the space that was not there before,” Lopez said. “With this project, we wanted to make the space more welcoming, more colorful and more alive.”

The mural, “Vida De el Sol y La Luna” (Life of the Sun and the Moon), was painted by eight RVCC students in six days.
The mural, “Vida De el Sol y La Luna” (Life of the Sun and the Moon), was painted by eight RVCC students in six days.

The students were guided by their professor, Ji Yong Kim throughout the project. The mural was also supported by Bound Brook Cultural Arts Committee.

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“It's been a true privilege to see this mural come together with these extraordinary young artists under the wonderful guidance of Professor Kim,” Evelyn Estava, a member of the committee, said. “On behalf of the Bound Brook Cultural Arts Committee, I would like to congratulate them for creating an exquisite art piece that will be truly meaningful for our community at large.”

Email: sdimaggio@mycentraljersey.com

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Bound Brook's Latin American community inspires train station mural