Cimientos de sus venas
2024 @ Public Day Middle School, Springfield, MA, USA
This mural is inspired by the poem “Quise sembrarme en todas mis venas” (I Wanted to Sow Myself in All My Veins) by Ángela María Dávila Malavé. We wanted to present a visual narrative of how our ancestors have paved the way for us today to enjoy a better future and continue their work. In the mural, we pay tribute to Puerto Rican women who have made important contributions to Puerto Rico. We included 30 names of illustrious women, primarily from education, literature, and politics.
The mural functions as a diptych, presenting two scenes at opposite ends of the school's façade. Each scene invites the viewer to look through a window into the bed of a ceiba tree. At its roots, we begin to find women's names. At the foot of the window, various objects can be seen that allude to six of the women named in the mural: Ángela María Dávila Malavé, María de las Mercedes Barbudo y Coronado, María Luisa Arcelay de la Rosa, Celestina Cordero y Molina, Pura Beltré Nogueras, and Ana Irma Rivera Lassén. We wanted to highlight lesser-known figures and those that are more contemporary. In the mural on the right, a girl can be seen sitting at the foot of the Ceiba tree. As if coming out of the tree trunk, an ancestor accompanies her, placing a hand on her shoulder. In the mural on the left side of the building, a clearer view of the exterior can be seen. From the interior, a figure sewing stands out, its subtle reflection visible in the window pane.
Other names included: Ana Roque de Duprey, Antonia Pantoja, Blanca Canales Torresola, Clara Lair (Mercedes Negrón Muñoz), Dominga de la Cruz Becerril, Felicitas “La Prieta” Méndez Gómez, Felisa Rincón Marrero de Gauthier, Herminia Torres García, Ivana Fred Millán, Martha Ivelisse Pensante Rodríguez (Ivy Queen), Juana Colón o Juana de Arco de Comerío, Julia de Burgos, Lola Rodríguez de Tió, Dolores “Lolita” Lebrón Sotomayor, Luisa Capetillo, Luz María Umpierre Herrera, Margot Arce de Vázquez, María Libertad Gómez Garriga, Mariana Bracetti, Mayra Santos Febres (@mayra.santosfebres), Modesta Díaz Segarra, Nilita Vientós Gastón, Soraya Santiago Solla y Sylvia Rexach.
“Foundations of Her Veins,” a community diptych mural at Public Day Middle School in Springfield, MA. Founded/Created in collaboration with Common Wealth Murals. We are so grateful for the hard work of G.S. Ortiz SELF. , and Giselle Guillén Martínez in painting and installing these murals.