Turning Walls into Masterpieces
Recently, 50 artists from throughout Mexico gathered in the community of Coacoyul, Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, for the 2nd Urban Art Meeting for Biodiversity, organized by ProCosta México, A.C.. This environmental conservation organization promotes education projects in coastal communities of Mexico.
Artists from throughout the state of Guerrero and the country gathered to participate in the event.
This year’s event theme was “Gastronomy, Fauna, and Flora of Guerrero.” Artists participated in various cultural activities during the weekend meeting, including art exhibitions, a music concert, and workshops for children.
The Mural Project
Among the artists were muralists, who captured their works on different walls in the community. The event resulted in 30 murals.
Jessica Avendaño Gómez, Procosta México, A.C. president, stated that the murals aim to communicate how biodiversity (fauna and flora) is vital to preserving our food security. For example, bats, butterflies, and bees pollinate mangos, corn, sesame, and jamaica. To conserve our food, we need to conserve the species.
“We seek to give a voice to species at risk by painting colorful murals that have a visual impact, beautifying the community, and communicating the problems faced by some animals and plants if we do not act soon,” she said.
Turning Walls into Masterpieces
The mural project starts with cleaning and preparing the walls for painting. The artist then outlines the painting.
Here is a sample of some of the 30 murals created during the event. Visit the community of El Coacoyul, Zihuatanejo, and discover each of them.
Photos by Al Doerksen