“Antelope Valley Continues to Bloom,” A New Mural Honoring the Indigenous and Native American Communities of LA County
LA vs Hate revealed a new mural celebrating LA County's Indigenous and Native communities and cultures at a special event at Piute Middle School in Lancaster. The mural, “Antelope Valley Continues to Bloom,” was created by River Garza, an Indigenous interdisciplinary visual artist based out of Los Angeles. This mural is one of five pieces commissioned during the LA vs Hate Summer of Solidarity initiative, a public art series that celebrates the diverse communities of Los Angeles and has revealed four new murals since May.
This mural was created in partnership with Antelope Valley Partners for Health and the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians. The unveiling and dedication ceremony included speakers and several performances, and following the dedication, the community joined the students of Piute Middle School for an afternoon celebration.
“LA vs Hate murals beautify our communities while illustrating important values and histories, sharing stories across ancestries, histories and cultures,” said Executive Director of the LA County Commission on Human Relations Robin Toma. “Our program is not only focused on ending systemic discrimination and bias, but also about nurturing intergroup coalitions that are as inclusive as they are diverse. And I believe art like this mural can be a force and inspiration in those efforts.”
“This beautiful mural at Piute Middle School will serve as a source of encouragement and inspiration for all who attend and work at the school and visit campus,” said LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “The artwork offers us an important reminder that no matter the challenges we face, our community will continue to flourish when we uplift one another. I’m glad the Lancaster community, which has a deep love for the arts, will get to enjoy this lovely piece through Los Angeles County’s LA vs Hate initiative.”
“This mural is an amazing representation of community coming together and capturing the beauty of the Antelope Valley while instilling a hopeful future of health, happiness, and unity,” said Executive Director of Antelope Valley Partners for Health Michelle Fluke. “This mural has been in development for many years and I am extremely proud of the team that was able to bring it to life and find the perfect canvas for this amazing artwork to inspire our youth and the community to work together to make the Antelope Valley a safe place to call home.”
"Being a Native person here in Los Angeles County, finding outlets for artistic expression can be difficult,” said Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians Vice President Mark Villasenor. “So, supporting artists in their work allows all of us to enrich a many number of lives. The artist gets enriched through their expression, and the community gets the art and can show younger people that artistic expression is possible."
“This mural represents the life cycles of the Antelope Valley, using the poppy bloom as a metaphor for the richness and resilience of its local residents,” said muralist River Garza. “The mural honors the relationship between communities experiencing food and housing insecurity and the service workers who engage in a cycle of giving and healing. My design draws from Tongva basket weaving patterns that are recognized across local tribes for their connections with geography and sacred geometry. The perseverance of the poppies are a symbol of hope, reminding us that we too are resilient and have every potential to bloom.”
The mural is part of LA vs Hate’s solidarity mural series, a celebration of the County’s cultural and community diversity and our unity against prejudice, discrimination and bigotry, which will conclude this fall. The series of events includes monthly art-led and community-centered events in each of the county’s five supervisorial districts. Through partnerships with community-based organizations, the festivities will uplift and celebrate cultural moments and traditions – all to showcase that unity is stronger than hate. This program also seeks to remind residents of the County’s hate reporting system, where anyone can report an act of hate and receive free and confidential support by calling 2-1-1, or by filing a report online at www.LAvsHate.org.
The final mural of the solidarity mural series will celebrate the Black community of LA and will be unveiled on November 11 at the Willowbrook Senior Center in South LA. To close out the solidarity mural series, LA vs Hate will also be showcasing replicas of the other community murals that were previously unveiled for the Jewish, LGBTQ, Latine and Indigenous communities of Los Angeles County, and will welcome all of the artists and partners to come together to commemorate the Summer of Solidarity.
On November 11, LA vs Hate will also launch its fourth United Against Hate Week campaign. Taking place November 12-18, United Against Hate Week (UAHW) is a statewide call for local civic action to stop the hate and implicit biases that are a dangerous threat to the safety and civility of our neighborhoods, towns, and cities. LA vs Hate leads LA County in taking action each year, and dozens of LA-based communities, organizations and individuals host events, activations and more in efforts to stop the hate. Learn more about LA County United Against Hate Week here.
