BRINGING ART TO LIFE

Angelique Flores

FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- Art is “just a habit” for 16-year-old Jerry

Cardenas. He never thought he could present his hobby for others to

enjoy.

Cardenas and 54 other Los Amigos High School students will see their

self-portraits come to life in a single large mural installed in the

foyer of the Orange County Human Relations building in Santa Ana.

The 5-by-10-foot ceramic mural titled “Na’ch Tu Ni’ch,” which is Mayan

for “you are my other me,” will be unveiled today at the agency’s annual

Wassail.

Artist Rigo Maldonado, a human relations specialist with the Human

Relations Council, spent almost two years bringing the students’ work to

the building.

“I believe that art should be for everybody,” said Maldonado, who

graduated from Los Amigos in 1992.

On a visit to his former high school, Maldonado noticed student

sketches on display. The bright self-portraits created with Van

Gogh-inspired whirls inspired Maldonado to find a space to put the works

out for the community to see.

“The opportunity to do this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” art

teacher Kevin Ferguson said. “They can take their children and

grandchildren to see it.”

Cardenas describes creating art as just having a good time. Students

like him and 16-year-old Enrique Romero, are beaming with excitement that

their work will be on a permanent display in a county building.

The artist worked with the art students to transfer their original

designs to ceramic tile. After much planning and a $4,000 grant from

PacifiCare Health Systems, Maldonado and the students will finally see

the fruits of their labor.

“It’s a good opportunity to get our artwork up somewhere,” said

16-year-old Oscar Gamez, whose motivation to get more of his art in the

public eye has grown.

The Human Relations Council is a nonprofit, county-run agency that

promotes social justice in schools and the community at large. Maldonado

plans to also have other schools in the county showcase their art in the

building. He hopes to use art as a medium to teach, as well as to

illustrate diversity and social justice.

“It’s going to serve its purpose to show human relations and what we

do here,” he said.

The mural, diverse in its colors, reflects the diversity of the

artists themselves and those who worked on the project with Maldonado,

such as tile artist George Robles from Los Angeles and Rigoberto A.

Maldonado Sr., a carpenter who designed and framed the mural for

installation.

“You see yourself in this mural,” the younger Maldonado said. “It’s

about everybody.”

While the students are excited to have their “pictures on display

forever” as 18-year-old Tuan Than said, the council is just as happy to

provide a home for their art.

“There’s life here in our agency now,” Maldonado said. Until now, the

building had no art.

FYI

The unveiling of “Na’ch Tu Ni’ch,” will take place from from 3 to 5

p.m. today in the foyer of the Orange County Human Relations Office, 1300

S. Grand Ave., Building B, Santa Ana. (714) 567-7470.