Colorful ceramic mural unveiled at UNM-Valencia campus

TOME — Thousands of separate pieces came together to create a cohesive scene of local culture and heritage on the exterior of the University of New Mexico-Valencia campus’s fine arts gallery.

Earlier this month, dozens of people gathered on the campus for the dedication of a ceramic tile mural created by hand, piece by piece by students, staff, faculty and community members.

The finished mural is an intricate scene portraying the rich culture of Valencia County with small, personal details hidden within it.

“This comes from a big cross section of the community — students, faculty and staff, seniors in the area — and they all put something personal in the mural,” said Jan Pacifico, Tomé artist and adjunct faculty in fine arts at UNM-Valencia.

Pacifico was the instructor who led the project, working with dozens of contributors to create thousands of individual tiles that would eventually be installed as a cohesive mural.

The mural project evolved from a grant from the PASOS — Pathways to Articulation and Sustainable Opportunities for Students — program calling for proposals to create a project representing equity, care and engagement in the classroom.

Five different proposals were selected, including Pacifico’s proposal for a class called Tile Mosaic Murals.

“We started planning for our project in the spring 2024 semester. Several weeks were spent discussing the theme and how we could best represent those values,” Pacifico said. “We decided to depict the culture of Valencia County and the richness of the diversity here. We are calling our mural ‘Diversity Makes a Rich Mosaic.’”

Students in her class were asked to create something that would define them, and they did. One student has plans to be a doctor and added a medical caduceus, while Pacifico’s granddaughter, who is from Brooklyn, included a tile made to look like a little slice of pizza.

UNM-Valencia Chancellor Dr. Sam Dosumu said the creators of the mural were a dedicated group who worked to represent the culture, history and diversity of the area.

“I watched it slowly grow from concept, to design, to layout and installation. I would walk by every day and see it take shape and wonder what it would look like,” Dosumu said during the dedication on Thursday, Dec. 5. “Well, wonder no more. It came out more beautiful than I could have imagined. I can see future photo opportunities here during graduation, maybe proposals and other special occasions. It’s a beautiful backdrop.”

Somewhere in the mural is a pomegranate made by Dr. Laura Musselwhite, UNM-Valencia dean of instruction, who said the project has “really been a lovely thing. I’ve watched and participated in it. The crux of the project was to bring students together in making something that has meaning to them and their culture. We are so grateful to Jan and the classes who created the tiles. I had people ask as it was being installed if it was going to be permanent. It is extremely permanent.”

PASOS project director Veronica Salcido said the goal of the grant was to create a project that was culturally responsive, so students could see themselves in the lessons.

“I want to thank the faculty for having the vision to create this project. Jan led the classes and her artistic vision — her beautiful, unique vision — allowed others to reach their creative potential. This is something for the community forever.”

The mural also includes tiles on a large bench along the wall of the gallery which includes many personal pieces from contributors, Pacifico said.

A mother and daughter from Mexico made a tile weaving that drapes across the bench, and the center section has a dolphin because the patriarch of their family used to carve ice sculptures of dolphins in Mexico.

“The centerpiece of the mural is a vibrant sun with clasped, intergenerational hands, the older one lifting up the younger,” she said.

The color of the hands are purposely not representative of any race, making them universal instead.

Pacifico said trees were a common feature in the mural, representing putting roots down in the community. One student made a tile nestled in the roots of a tree, reading, “Arise, Stand Tall, Grow Deep.”

“Everyone who helped has a very personal stake in it. Now, more than ever, we need to come together and celebrate our diverse and unique blending of cultures,” Pacifico said.