After beginning her position at Chapman University in June 2022, Executive Director of the Cross-Cultural Center (CCC) and first-generation programs Araceli Martinez had a major goal to find a way to encourage more people to visit the center and utilize the variety of resources available. 

Thus, plans for a new colorful, vibrant mural for the CCC were born.

Chapman’s CCC recently unveiled the center’s new mural on April 21 with the purpose of creating a “home-away-from-home” for students, faculty and staff and further promoting diversity, inclusivity and collaboration of all cultures and people across campus.

The CCC worked in collaboration with Los Angeles based muralist Damin (Zaoone) Lujan and professors Rachelle Chuang and Bernie Dickson’s new graphic design experimental course (GD 329A) to create the mural, known as "Colors of Home." The mural spans across the entire outside wall of the CCC on the third floor of Argyros Forum and incorporates a plethora of colors, symbols and cultures with the purpose of representing global diversity, intersectionality and togetherness.

“When I came into my position, (the existing mural) was more of a wrap than a mural on the wall, and I think going forward, it was about an opportunity to add more color, be more vibrant and especially make sure that we had the name of the Cross-Cultural Center on the mural,” Martinez said. “The main thing for us was to draw more students to the CCC, and what better way to do that than to have (a mural) to come and actually look at and maybe even identify with on a personal level.”

Martinez said the new mural takes inspiration from a wall wrap that was created by various Chapman alumni and the university’s department of student engagement in order to commemorate the CCC’s grand opening in the spring of 2017.

The class that worked alongside Lujan on the mural was a newly-created graphic design course, GD 329A, which was launched for the first time in fall 2022. Photos by Bernie Dickson

The past wall wrap was created in under a month due to the hard work of 10 Chapman students, now alumni, that worked on the project. It symbolized the safe and comfortable space that the CCC hoped to bring to the Chapman community by showcasing various colors and a banner that contained the words "identity, empathy and community."

Instead of attempting to showcase all existing cultures individually on the mural, the final design of the mural focused on representing global diversity for all. This was accomplished through the use of universal patterns, colors and simplified imagery to allow for interpretation of the mural to be up to the viewer and their individual background. 

Specific patterns from Asian, Latin, African, Native American, Island culture and neon signage to exemplify the LGBTQ+ community were used to influence and create the mural’s final design that is now currently on display.

“(The finished mural) looks amazing, and I’m so proud of what was accomplished,” said Lujan, the muralist who worked alongside the graphic design class and the CCC to make this vision come to life. “Seeing the mural on the wall is such a big achievement, and I can only hope that the students and faculty here at Chapman fall in love with it.”

The class that worked alongside Lujan on the mural was a newly-created graphic design course, GD 329A, which was launched for the first time in fall 2022. Chuang, one of the instructors for the course, said the new class follows the Stanford design model and takes the place of a print-focused design class that had been required for graphic design students to take prior. 

“With the full-time graphic design faculty’s trust, the class ‘left the station’ and so many dedicated people jumped on board with us to make this a success,” Chuang said. “Nothing happens out of thin air, so this mural is the culmination of a true collaborative effort, which was our primary value for the course.” 

Specific patterns from Asian, Latin, African, Native American, Island culture and neon signage to exemplify the LGBTQ+ community were used to influence and create the mural’s final design that is now currently on display. Videos by Damin Lujan

Dickson, the second professor teaching the class, said both she and Chuang wanted to emphasize the importance of collaboration among students. Thus, they were able to get in touch with the CCC last fall as Martinez and her staff were in need of a mural to decorate their space.

“The hope for this class was that the students sharpened their soft skills and rediscovered their excitement and passion for graphic design,” Dickson said. “After reflecting on the semester and talking with some students, I think the hope and the goal aligned."

In order to begin creating the mural, the students in the course were divided into three different groups. One group of students were tasked with finding multiple professional muralists to work on the project, with the chosen one being Lujan. The second group of students physically worked on the mural, and the remaining group were responsible for documenting the mural’s process. 

The students helped to lay the foundation for the mural’s themes, which included inclusivity, diversity and celebration of one’s identity and made potential designs. With the help of Chuang, Dickson and Lujan, a final design was approved that aimed to reference several different cultures through the use of several cultural patterns and colors. A panther design was also included in the final design to represent community values on campus.

“Being surrounded by art improves our daily experiences, and it promotes creativity, motivation and effort,” said junior graphic design major Claire Guardi, who was part of the mural design class. “The mural in itself communicates an acceptance and uplifting of diversity, which aligns perfectly with the CCC's values. Students being able to identify with work like this can make them feel they're part of a community, one that is there to listen and forever evolve."

Once a design was finalized during the fall 2022 semester, Lujan and the graphic design students worked on tracing it onto the mural’s surface. Lujan taught the basics of spray painting as well so that near the end of the semester, students were able to assist in spray painting the mural itself. 

While the mural process had been lengthy and did have its ups and downs, Guardi said that she believed it had been a great opportunity for her and her class to gain hands-on experience and learn something outside of their comfort zones. 

Students, faculty and staff who come across the mural are able to choose certain elements of it to identify with, which fosters greater inclusivity and comfortability among the community, Martinez said. The mural also showcases that the CCC is an open space for anyone to come in to socialize, study and relax.

“The whole goal was to put new energy into the space and be very specific that we had the mural painted, so that it is removable,” said Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Reginald Stewart. “You never know if the CCC could move to a new building and if it does, you are then able to take the mural with you. It also gave us a chance to preserve the previous mural, since it still exists behind the new one. Therefore, the first mural created for the CCC back in 2017 is very much still a part of the center’s historical record.”