Student Mural Project
The mural covering the inside walls at the San Mateo County Office of Education represents student voice, San Mateo County communities, and safe and supportive environments. It was created by students in collaboration with muralist Pedro Rivas Lopez, and honors former Congresswoman Jackie Speier and County Supervisor Don Horsley for their their unwavering support of the youth of San Mateo County and their leadership on behalf of safe and supportive schools and communities.
The Mural Process
Stage 1
A call went out to students across San Mateo County to "envision an inclusive, welcoming community." Students from all across the county submitted their sketches and ideas. Many of them wanted to represent a diversity of people, places in San Mateo, and symbols of things in their life that were important to them.
Stage 2
Pedro Rivas Lopez, a local muralist, met with a group of San Mateo County students who gave input on what the design of the mural should look like. This draft was re-worked a few times before being finalized.
Stage 3
In the beginning stages of this mural, students helped paint a Doodle Grid which is an unconventional way of upscaling an image. It is more free-form (and more fun!) than the traditional Grid Method. These doodles helped guide the painting of the mural.
Stage 4
Students applied the initial coats of paint. Large blocks of color cover the doodles and serve as the starting point for the rest of the painting.
Stage 5
Details were added by students, SMCOE staff, and outside guests including board members and Jackie Speier. It was truly a collaborative effort to finish the mural!
Congratulations to the students who submitted their artwork:
- Carlmont High School: Jiyul Park
- El Camino High School: Marian Manahan
- Mercy High School: Mikayla Lindner, Priyana Singh, Zoe Chow, Ariel Alvarez, Cailyn White
- San Mateo High School: Kanna Funabashi, Anabela Laird, Allison Yen, Raissa Rodrigues
- Jefferson High School: Louis Ebora, Brian Delaplaza, Breena Bustos, Aurellia Noverdi-Badarudin, Lee Rafael Abordo, Grace Wang, Oscar Rodriguez, Kevin Zhou, Charlynne Tungol, Samia Hernandez, Marilin Lopez, Rachel Abrego Magana, Ahmed Nasher, Alayham Alghaithi, Hatim Massar, Viviana Picazo, Lian Claire Turla
Meet the Muralist
Pedro Rivas Lopez uses art as a way to speak truth to power and uplift oppressed voices to amplify social change. At the age of five, his journey as an immigrant pursuing his Dreams began. From selling oranges at street corners, to picking watermelon in the fields, Pedro worked his way to find himself writing and directing plays and creating artistic opportunities for communities across the Central Valley and the Bay Area. Today, Pedro paints to visually portray stories to uplift those silenced and creates teatro to build resilient communities.
Follow his journey on TikTok@prl_art Instagram @prl_arte and/or @arteaquaviva to learn more about how art can uplift, heal, and transform communities. To learn more, visit www.arteaquaviva.com
Honor Jackie Speier and Don Horsley
This mural will honor recently retired Congresswoman Jackie Speier and San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley, for their unwavering support of the youth of San Mateo County and their leadership on behalf of safe and supportive schools and communities. Congresswoman Speier and Supervisor Horsley both played important roles in the founding of the San Mateo County Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities, which brings together organizations in the county to work to create and sustain safe and positive school and community environments using a variety of tools, resources, and expertise.