ARVIN, Calif. (KERO) — It was an exciting weekend in Arvin as Arvin High School students and members of the Arvin Navigation Center joined forces to begin a project that’s been in the works for several months.
- Arvin residents are launching a mural project to beautify the community.
- The initiative is called the 'Arvin Beautification Project' and aims to highlight cultural history.
- Students from Arvin High School and members of the Arvin Navigation Center are collaborating on the murals.
- The project promotes community unity through collaborative art efforts.
- Work on the murals will continue for four weeks.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Community members in Arvin are joining forces to showcase the city’s cultural history through a mural project. According to the organizers, the project started as a vision from two Arvin High School (AHS) Students.
Now projected onto a wall is a mural project that began as an idea from Juan Villegas’ and Jaqueline Bedolla’s school project.
"We were at a retreat where we had to do an art project and we just came up with the idea of making murals, but it was a hypothetical project, so seeing it be painted on—it’s going to be so cool, I’m so excited," said AHS Student Jaqueline Bedolla.
Together, students like Bedolla and members of the Arvin Navigation Center gathered outside of La Mexicana Market in Arvin to begin what they call ”The Colors of Healing.”
"Right now, we’re doing a cultural mural so that it represents our culture, it brings it together, and we can also target other environmental issues," said Juan Villegas another AHS student.
On Friday, the group began by tracing what would become a mural representative of the community. Then on Saturday, stroke by stroke, the two organizations started bringing it to life with vibrant colors.
"We're making sure that we bring in culture," said Artist Mario Gonzalez. "We show what Arvin is all about from floral aspects to dancing, to agriculture—everything that I think this town is about."
In addition to highlight the communities history, organizers say the project, funded by Kern Family Healthcare, intends to unify the community and reduce stigmas associated with homelessness.
"I’m excited just to see—to see our clients and some of the students from Arvin High come together and be able to work on this project together," said Site Supervisor for Flood Ministries Naomi Elijah.
Since the start of the planning phase, organizers say the project has grown from being on one wall to now being on two. And according to them, it’ll continue to grow.
"We don’t plan on stopping here, we want to expand this all over," said Villegas.
Community members will continue to work on the murals for the next four weeks.
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