Avivo Artworks Program—Jes Reyes—Adults—6 hours
On Tuesday I spent the day at Avivo working with folks to finish the mural!
In the morning, I worked with collective members on adding details to the center of the mural, and cleaning up edges. We talked a lot about how to add detail and collaborate without covering or completely altering other peoples contributions—sometimes when we are used to working on our own paintings, it’s easy to get in the zone and want to take things over when inspiration strikes!
At 2 pm, the Artworks Collective members had a private meeting, so I brought paints and paint markers into the entry way and invited community members to participate. Jes had made announcements over the loud speaker that people were free to come contribute to the mural, but many community members were wary of doing so until being directly invited. Luckily, the mural is close to the bathroom downstairs, and so as people would slowly walk and look at the mural on their way to the restroom, it was easy to say hello and invite them to join. A lot of folks would respond by saying ‘Oh, no, that’s the collectives, I’m not really a good artist’ but after further discussion the same people saying this would end up adding amazing contributions a few moments later. One man asked if he could put anything on the mural, and I said go for it! and he wrote at the top of one of the rays “I need you” over and over—something so beautiful and simple that really changed the course of the mural. I encouraged him to keep going, and he ended up adding many repeating words and phrases to the rays using a paint marker.
During the design stage, the group had talked about wanting to incorporate text, and this person who wrote on the rays had no idea and found the perfect way of incorporating it. There was also someone who came along and said he felt that he didn’t feel like the mural represented him. I invited him to join but he was adamant that he did not want to use paints or markers, so we decided he would tell me what to write and I would write it. We had a long discussion about what Avivo means to him and added “communal holy ground” under all are welcome here. He then stayed while others painted and read his poetry. There were many beautiful moments that happened throughout this lesson naturally, and I felt especially on Tuesday that in smaller more informal groups, folks were able to open up and really connect with one another.
