California State University, Northridge’s Department of Art in collaboration with the Department of Chicana/o Studies held a dedication and reception for the Arbol de la Vida/Tree of Life mural on June 7. Professor Yreina Cervantez and 10 of her Public Art 488 and 588 students spent the spring semester collaborating with both departments on a 65-foot mural located behind the photo lab near the Art and Design Center’s classroom 321.

“The opportunity to paint this mural first came up when the chair of the art department wanted to reestablish the program,” Cervantez said. “I told him I would be interested in teaching a course in the department if I could work with my students on a mural project.

“The class met only once a week on Saturdays, which gave us limited time. However, the students were very committed and dedicated to their work. From the very beginning of the process to the end, they were there to complete the mural — even a few weeks past the end of the semester.”

For most of the students in the class, this was the first time they had worked on a mural of such magnitude. Through collective contributions from Cervantez, her students and volunteers, the work of art became a department treasure. Many of the volunteers were CSUN alumni or previous art students who became involved in the project.

“The mural is quite beautiful,” Cervantez said. “This mural project demonstrates the importance and opportunities for collaboration between departments, as well as the great significance of all forms of public art, the positive impact it can have and the need to support this form of expression.”

In the beginning of the semester, the students worked together to decide on an overarching theme for the piece — one that made it not only pertinent to CSUN and the department, but a theme with a message.

“This mural was a space for the students to express their concerns,” Cervantez said. “My students and I talked a lot about the purpose of the mural and how to make it relevant. They chose to represent diverse artists over time in terms of gender and race. It also touched on contemporary issues, such as education and incarceration. We used art as social [consciousness] to mention these issues throughout the piece.”

The mural depicts many famous artists who took stances on these controversial issues. Those depicted include Kathe Kollwitz, a German expressionist and human rights advocate, as well as Frida Kahlo, Betye Saar, Gordon Parks, James Luna, Ana Mendieta, Andy Warhol and Ai Wei Wei.

“In order for us to put all of these artists and ideas together, there’s a silhouette of a figure holding a portfolio,” she said. “The figure moves throughout the mural, expressing these controversial topics.”

The June 7 reception “was a celebration for the students and the completion of the piece,” Cervantez said. “Sometimes you can work really hard on a project, and everyone becomes completely burned out. The students were so pleased with the process, which made it all the more rewarding for me. The class worked incredibly well together, and I think they really bonded. It’s been a wonderful experience painting the mural with them.”

Art, Chicano/a Studies, Mural Paiting