The “Still Here” Mural

History of the project:

In 2021, Serrano/Cahuilla Native Rosy Aranda had approached the Eastside Arthouse to inquire about making a Native mural in Riverside. Unfortunately there was no funding resources at the time. Fast forward 2 years later, upon learning of the Creative Corps grant opportunity, I remembered her inquiry and called her up to see if she wanted to partner up to make this dream mural happen. I told her “It’s a long shot” as this grant is county wide but even if we didn’t get it, we should still collaborate regardless of funding. I was completely shocked when I got the email that we got approved! Since June 2023, Rosy Aranda has been serving as liaison to the Native Community to inform and guide the project concept and development, so that it can best represent and reflect local Native communities.

About the Creative Corps grant:

“At its heart, Creative Corps Inland SoCal is about putting artists to work in Inland Southern California and integrating creatives into solutions for issues facing our communities, including health, climate/conservation, social equity, and civic participation.” - CreativeInlandsocal.com

Project Mission:

This project will fulfill the grant mission of social justice and community engagement. By allowing more public art representation of local Native Communities specifically to the Downtown Riverside area. The city of Riverside, and Pá‘Čapa (today known as Mt. Rubidoux) is home to Luiseño, Cahuilla and Serrano Natives. The proposed large scale mural has the ability to engage people of all ages and backgrounds, can serve as a symbol of pride and understanding as well as be an accesible educational opportunity. It is crucial that we commemorate the stories of the original stewards who have contributed to its development, growth, and culture. The mural will serve as a reminder of their enduring presence and resilience.

My Intentions:

I intend to bring forth this mural in a way that puts Native voices in the forefront. I do not claim to be Native, I consider myself an ally and producer of murals with the artistic capabilities and experience to bring the vision to life. The planning and design will be directed by local Native community leaders and members. I will continue to seek input, guidance and permission related to project. Aside from general public volunteers on community paint days, any administrative, skilled labor, and research contributions from Native community members have and will be financially compensated from grant funding and any work outside of the proposed project scope is compensated from me personally. I do not take the privilege to execute this mural for granted. In addition, I would specifically like to use this opportunity to seek assistance from any emerging native talent with the goal of potentially uplifting new Native muralist in Riverside County.

Project Concept Development:

Rosy Aranda has a background in special effects makeup and I have some experience with body painting and a background photography. I also absolutely love painting portraits as well, so we came up with and idea to merge all our skills. The proposed idea was to have body painted Native models, painted into their chosen sacred landscape and then the images would be composited and turned into a large scale mural.

The project began with a trial run of body painting sessions with Native models before working with our official mural models.

One trial run included Blossom Maciel, who was 34 weeks pregnant at the time, the photo created would perfectly fit into the visual story and was included in the final mural design

After final images were chosen and without intention, each person’s gaze also happened to tell the story of past, present and future.

Images were blended together and hand painted into a mock up using the dimensions of the wall. Compositions, color and painting order will give me a better sense of how to paint the official mural.

The next step was to find and secure the perfect wall. The ideal wall would be 1) large, 2) within a 3 mile radius of Pá‘Čapa (Mt. Rubidoux) Mountain, 3) have easy painting surface, 4) no obstructions, 5) lot near by to have a mural reception.

The dream wall was found! However, it was county owned, so it would take time and effort to find the appropriate contacts and to acquire the right permissions to be able to paint it on their property. The project was green lit and all signatures were acquired just in time before summer hit

With the wall for scale!

Painting began May 1st and took 26 to complete.

Swipe through for close ups…

Visual meaning:

The mural is titled “Still Here” and the concept is two fold. One being, that Natives are from and part of the land and Riverside’s history. And the other is a play on being unseen as the subjects camouflage into the landscape. This mural invites the viewer to question how they personally take a role in unseen histories and belonging.

​All women subjects in this mural represent 3 Native lineages and are representatives of their Riverside county tribes. Each woman has chosen a sacred location that bears the most significance to their family. They were then body painted to blend into the landscape, and photographed in these exact locations.

The 3 landscapes are blended and overlapped, beginning from the high mountains of Idyllwild, traveling down through Banning and ending at Pá‘Čapa (Mt. Rubidoux) . The landscape and people are unified through the water that flows through these landscapes.

First in this scene is respected Cahuilla elder, Rose Ann Hamilton. The rich cultural heritage of the Cahuilla tribe has been kept alive through the generations, and Rose Ann stands as a testament to its enduring legacy. She is part of a long lineage of skilled basket weavers. She is photographed in an undisclosed location in Idyllwild. Here, Rose Ann cares for and maintains this site where she gathers the Deergrass used for weaving. Rose Ann's eyes serve as a window to the past, a constant reminder of the importance of reflection and honoring one's cultural roots.

In the center is Blossom Maciel, Fort Sill Chiricahua Apache Tribe and Mountain Cahuilla descendant. She is a community organizer, film director and mother. Blossom has been passing down her rich cultural heritage through teaching basket weaving for the last 18 years. She is photographed in Banning with a flowing wash painted across her belly to reflect the continued lineage. She engages the viewer with direct eye contact to signify the present moment.

Lastly is Genevieve Aranda, Cahuilla/Serrano descendant and Acjachemen, representing the “future”. She is shown looking out of the frame within and towards the actual Pá‘Čapa (Mt. Rubidoux) visible from this mural. She is only 4 years old and learning to basket weave and speak her native languages. The water flows through her arm representing her power to take action as she represents the future generation as hopeful and proud.

A welcoming ceremony was held on June 23rd, 2024. Celebration included vendors and seed ball and painting workshops and a special screening of Pá'Čapa Documentary at sundown.