PUBLIC ART PROJECT CELEBRATES CHANGE-MAKERS

Two Artists Create Social Justice Mural at CSUMB

All throughout history, people have fought for social justice by speaking out in protests, demonstrations, and marches. The powerful messages written on protest signs are front and center in a new community art project at the Service Learning Institute at California State University Monterey Bay. Artists Paul Richmond Briden Schueren celebrated a diverse group of twenty five activists from the Monterey Peninsula by painting them wielding signs from protests and demonstrations in a community art installation. The messages were culled from online submissions via the hashtag #Rise2Change.

MURAL UNVEILING & ART RECEPTION

On Friday, 2/8/19, the finished Rise2Change mural was unveiled in a community celebration that also featured a display of activist works of art from individuals, students at Palenke Arts, Boys and Girls Club, and protest signs from the Women’s March. The reception included a photobooth, sign-making activity, food/drinks, meet the artists, and a special performance by Palenke Arts.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Briden Cole Schueren

Briden’s artistic exploration began in the rural Pennsylvanian town of Cooks Forest, with his grandmother Norma, a painter. From his grandmother, he learned to convey complex emotions through deliberate brushstrokes and color usage. As a child, Briden struggled with a learning disability, resulting in his struggle to connect and socialize with other children. These early adversities became a source of strength because exploring textures and media allowed him to express his emotions and connect with others. His broad body of work boasts both unique textures and mixed media used across the entire collection. Being born a female-bodied person, the challenges, obstacles, and personal reformations have been abundant, leading to the happy person he is today. Often he credits his ability to create and explore through art as a practice as having saved his life. Briden sees his work as having the power to help others in a similar way. “I share my art because through this experience my life has been forever changed, and I want to encourage anyone who will listen, to find their creative facet in life for themselves, to find what allows them to express their truth, as art has changed my life for the better.” Learn more on his website here.

Paul Richmond

Paul Richmond is an internationally recognized visual artist and activist whose career has included exhibitions in galleries and museums throughout the United States as well as publication in numerous art journals and anthologies. His work is collected by individuals around the globe. In his role as the Associate Art Director for Dreamspinner Press and their young adult imprint, Harmony Ink Press, he has created over four hundred novel cover illustrations. He is a co-founder of the You Will Rise Project, an organization that empowers those who have experienced bullying to speak out creatively through art. He lives with his husband Dennis in Monterey, California. He works and teaches at Open Ground Studios in Seaside. Learn more on his website here.

CSUMB SERVICE LEARNING INSTITUTE

Recognized as a national leader in service learning and civic engagement, the mission of the Service Learning Institute (SLI) is to foster and promote social justice by cultivating reciprocal service and learning partnerships. Each year, the SLI connects approximately 3,000 students to more than 600 community partner organizations located throughout the tri-county area. Service learning at CSUMB helps students become “multicultural community builders”: students who have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to work effectively in a diverse society to create more just and equitable workplaces, communities and social institutions.  The Service Learning Institute is located at 5251 6th Avenue,Seaside, across from the University Center. Learn more on their website here.

INTERESTED IN A MURAL LIKE THIS FOR YOUR COMMUNITY? CONTACT US.