Livingston Middle School unveils new mural with message on diversity

A warm-colored mural with messages of unity, compassion and perseverance is adding new energy to the campus at Livingston Middle School.

The mural, one of the first things visitors now see when entering the school, is the result of a recent collaboration with a UC Merced arts class. The piece, unveiled Friday afternoon, transformed a plain brick wall into a collection of colors and stencil art.

The wall features faces of students and a large book, the spine of which creates a bridge, representative of the journey from childhood to maturity. Inside the faces of students are cultural references: the stars and stripes of the American flag; the tricolored Mexican flag; and Sikh symbols.

The goal was to create a mural representative of the school’s population, said Richard Gomez, the UC Merced arts professor who led the project.

Gomez received the help of students in his Arts for Social Change course and 10 Livingston Middle School students.

The art project served several purposes, said Principal William Marroquin. It gave middle school students the opportunity to connect with and learn from university students, but it also taught them the value of collaboration.

To decide what would go up on the wall, students were responsible for canvassing and asking their peers what they’d like to see on campus.

“Mentorship was a huge piece with this project, but also teaching our Livingston Middle School students about action research and conducting studies,” Marroquin said. “It was an extremely powerful experience for them.”

This is the second mural that Gomez and his art classes have worked on in Merced County. The first was a four-wall project at McNamara Park in south Merced. Gomez said his goal is to expose the community to art that is relevant to them.

“People want to see themselves in these murals,” Gomez said. “And, in this area, it’s important that we include these faces of color.”

These murals also help bring some of the urban artistry often seen in larger cities, Gomez said.

Marroquin said he has another campus wall in mind for a second mural.

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Livingston Middle School unveils new mural with message on diversity."