New mural exhbition highlights Mexican culture

Sep. 22—A new mural exhibition that showcases Mexican heritage and tradition is now on display at the Norman Firehouse Art Center.

The exhibit titled "Waking Up" includes both an exterior and interior mural painted by Mexican artists, Maria Cristina Mercado and Qvetzal, in collaboration with The University of Guadalajara in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Qvetzal's outdoor mural, which is 25-feet high, is of an indigenous Mexican boy called Ni?o Huichol, said Andy Couch, the center's executive director.

He "works very fast. I've seen people do something this large for more than a month's time frame and he did his in less than two weeks," Couch said of Qvetzal.

The interior mural painted by Mercado reflects the palette of the mural exhibition, he said.

Hers is more "naturalistic," Couch continued.

Mercado's mural includes many hues of red and flowers native to Mexico, he said.

"It really coincides more with the exhibit. They have two very different styles of work," he added.

According to the center's website, "one is intimate, which is austere and analogous, and the other evokes an awakening from the outside."

"Both paths result in this contrasting dialogue between the pieces in this exhibition. 'Waking Up' is an invitation to make our days a daily exercise in living life with passion," the site adds.

Couch had originally met Mercado in Wyoming as director of the Nicolaysen Museum and has been collaborating with her on this program for two years, he said.

"We were asking for volunteers from our community to help paint the interior of our new Discovery Center, and she just walked in and volunteered and we got to know each other," he said.

To help fund the artists' trip to Norman to paint these murals, the center receives funding from the city and other sponsors such as First United Bank and Pepe Delgados, Couch said.

"They (First United Bank) assist us with our exhibitions for this calendar year, and so we have a lot of grant funding that provides opportunities for our artists and exhibition schedule," he said.{p dir="ltr"}"My love for the art community and just the values that First United has really partnered up very well together. And so we thought that this was a great partnership," said Jordan Stringer, a commercial loan assistant at the bank and board treasurer at Firehouse Art Center.

The center's new Latino Cultural Committee also ensures that these programs are accessible to highlight traditional artwork.

"That's really important to us because we want to ensure that you know we're serving that community with leaders that are representative of that audience," Couch said.

The mural exhibition will be running up until Nov. 4 and will be available to view during center hours Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sat. Firehouse Art Center is located at 444 South Flood Avenue.

In collaboration with the city's Outdoor Movie Series, the center will show a screening of Pixar's 2017 film "Coco" at Lions Park, 450 South Flood Avenue, on Nov. 3 at 6 p.m.