The garden commons is getting a colorful update!
Local artist Marissa Hernandez is working with youth from Children’s Cancer Connection and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa to create a mural for the Botanical Garden. The mural will be in the garden commons (between the conservatory and the Gardeners Show House) and will highlight the diversity within plants, people, and art, while uplifting the voices of youth by incorporating their drawings in the design.
Marissa Hernandez is an artist and muralist based in Des Moines whose work is largely influenced by her family history, culture, and heritage. Marissa has created over 20 murals for small businesses and public schools. Her murals often include botanical inspiration and intentionally place BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) in soft, colorful, and idealistic worlds to challenge the idea that BIPOC must be strong activists in exchange for existence. These murals include faceless figures so anyone can project their own likeness onto the one most identifiable to them.
Over the last month, Marissa led mural design art workshops for youth from Children’s Cancer Connection and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa. During these workshops, Marissa shared her background and personal journey to becoming an artist and guided youth in creating drawings inspired by plants in the conservatory. Youth drawings will be used in the mural design and displayed in the Garden’s North Gallery.
The mural and art exhibit will be unveiled to the public on April 22, 2023, during the Garden’s annual Earth Day celebration, which is a free admission day traditionally drawing nearly 2,000 visitors. The art exhibit will remain in the North Gallery for at least one month, with the mural having a positive impact on Garden guests for many years to come!
This engagement is supported by the Arts Midwest Grow, Invest, Gather (GIG) Fund, a program of Arts Midwest supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from Iowa Arts Council/Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.
