"Together with the Sun," Legacy Community Health Clinic
A mural created for Legacy Community Health Clinic in Gulfton. Houston, Texas Work was completed in January 2020. The end marked the beginning of the pandemic and with it a year of masks and social distancing. This mural was completed in about 3-4 months at Texas State University with the assistance of artist and friend, Jesse Sifuentes. The mural was a feature and became a Houston Business Journal 2020 Landmark Impact Finalist. The project was managed by Weingarten Art Group and commissioned by Legacy Community Health Group. It consists of sections of cathedral glass mosaic and acrylic enamel paint.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Angel Quesada
with Jesse Sifuentes
“Together with the sun”, (Juntos al sol)
January 2019
Acrylic enamel and glass
The transcendent maternal influence is an integral part of the human experience. The mural’s colorful imagery is inspired by woven textile traditions of Latin America, India, and Burma. Textiles are predominantly woven by women and represent their respective cultures, so grouping of various textiles sourced from cultural communities comprises a literal and figurative tapestry of the diverse and complex demographic referenced by the mural.
Mosaic silhouette figures preclude identification of any specific race or ethnicity, focusing instead on the beautiful globality of integrated communities. Families remain the dominant safe haven for children: the warmth of a maternal bond, the embrace of parent(s), playtime with friends. The community network can become a surrogate home, creating friendships and extended parental relations.
Constellations and interstellar symbology of the relationships of parents and children were my starting place for this artwork. The sun, symbolic of the eternal parent, is represented in each of the panels. Ubiquitous throughout the design, the sun is an omnipotent constant in our lives that permits us to inhabit this world. It fosters growth through life-giving warmth and light. The landscapes portrayed alternate between cosmic and earthly, each symbolizing the universal reach of women and children beyond themselves to shape entire communities.
The traditional neighborhood healing locales like Latin American botanicas or Asian herbal shops interweave a person’s physical and spiritual aspects in a holistic approach to healing. As acculturation changes the ways in which we maintain health, from single bodies to entire communities, acceptance of the value of these services precludes the isolation of cultural health traditions and loss of identity within global society. This mural is a meditation on the life givers and the caretakers, relationships between parents and children, and the weaving of those communities that make our world vibrant and dynamic.