Fundación Alberto Baillères

Six Iztapalapa education communities participate in collaborative creation of murals

The Alberto Baillères Foundation accompanied a process of dialogue and participation to recuperate local identity and culture.

Arts projects help re-signify shared areas and promote taking ownership of spaces.

In an effort to promote community organization and action around shared spaces, staff members of the Alberto Baillères Foundation worked closely with six education communities in Santa María Aztahuacan, Iztapalapa, to co-design several murals. The murals will be displayed on the fence surrounding the school complex currently under construction in this locality, which will house the Jardín de Niños “Fray Martín de Valencia” [Pre-primary School], the Primaria “General Herminio Chavarría” [Primary School], and the Secundaria “Luis Pasteur” [Secondary School].

A series of sessions with senior, administrative and support staff, educators, and family members helped foster creativity, dialogue, and reflection on culture, elements of the natural world, values, identity, and shared memory. Taking these ideas as a jumping-off point, an artist designed concepts for the murals which were presented at arts appreciation events. Later, a process of feedback, voting, and selection of the winning concepts took place with members of education communities.

Throughout this process, committees were encouraged to form to monitor the implementation of agreements and the roles of the various stakeholders involved, thus developing project management skills. Moreover, increased cohesion and a greater sense of belonging will strengthen the process of caring for, maintaining, and taking ownership of the spaces to which these education communities will relocate and where they will find representation.

The Foundation also supported these education communities in creating murals in the temporary classroom spaces they currently occupy. In this regard, a reminder of their time in the sports facilities and parks of Santa María Aztahuacan will remain there as a legacy for the residents of this original village of Mexico City.