Students Co-Creating CSULB’s Community Mural with Mer Young
The Department of Design at California State University, Long Beach recently celebrated the completion of its very first mural.
Enter Mer Young
A kaleidoscope of colors — shades of purple, bright turquoise, vivid reds, bright pink, and warm oranges were taking shape at the Design Department Building at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Larger than life leafy outlines sprawled across the wall, while a handful of students diligently worked to fill them in. At the very center of it all was Mer Young, guiding the students through the splashes of color.
Young is a multidisciplinary muralist, visual artist and founder of Mausi Murals, a public artworks mural company based in Long Beach, CA. Young’s artworks strive to inspire, celebrate, and uplift repressed indigenous, first nations, and native cultures, as well as women of color. Her pieces also center on themes of immigration and the fight for justice and equality. She has been active in the art industry for over 20+ years.
Behind the leaves was the underlying doodle grid layer that she and the students painted together on the first day. The beauty of doodle grids are two-fold: they not only serve as a tool in transferring and scaling illustrations but also offer a canvas for freeform expression. This method encourages spontaneity, allowing the students to freely sketch and paint. The wall had become a canvas of cool shapes, designs, cats, flowers, words and names — some even in different languages. This formed the grid for transferring Young’s design onto the wall. In just two days they had covered significant ground.
As the first group was finishing up, another group eagerly popped their head into the hallway. With bright eyes and curiosity, they came in, signed in, and picked up a brush. Young looked at the wall to assess which areas needed attention, helped them get situated with paint, and gave them a couple of pointers before they begin to add their touches to the mural. Laughter and chatter filled the air as they painted, shared stories of their day, and discussions of how much fun they were having. One said it was comforting and therapeutic. Standing there, I was in awe of the collaborative mural unfolding, as these students came to help Young paint — the first of its kind in their department.
Students who passed by, whether before class or after, didn’t just see a work of art in progress, they saw an open invitation to be part of something larger than themselves. To contribute to their community and express themselves. This mural symbolizes the integration of art, creativity, and education, where learning is outside of the classroom in real life with the proximity of it being on campus.
After she completed the mural, I had the opportunity to ask Mer a couple questions regarding her thoughts on public art and the creative process:
Public art has the power to transform spaces and engage communities. What does public art mean to you personally, and how do you hope your murals, including the one at CSULB, impact the people who interact with them?
Young: “Public art signifies having access and to experience art. It activates and invigorates imagination. It sparks learning and adds an unparalleled state of awareness of the spaces we encounter every-day. Painting murals is an offering of the artistry/abilities I have been gifted. The impact of mural making itself is community engagement. My hopes are always to inspire.”
The collaborative nature of the CSULB mural project allowed students to participate in the creation process. How important is co-creation and collaboration to you as an artist? In what ways do you believe involving the community benefits the art-making process and the final artwork itself?
Young: “Co-creation and collaboration are paramount in my book because it invites folks to experience painting publicly and gives insight to what you love to do. In reality, we never do things alone in the world, people need people. I feel that involving the community in the art-making process benefits the people who participate. The work would only exist as an idea, by involving folks, painting has a lot to offer. It brings laughter, memory, builds friendships, network, and exposure to the process. As for the Designs students most of them expressed how therapeutic it was to paint, especially during mid-semester when things are hectic. Murals have value, the art is reflection of us, it communicates ideas, and allows expression and so much more!”
The process it took to get this mural on campus had to go through many hoops and after months of back and forth, have a wall to call their own. As the Department of Design looks forward to future projects, this mural will always be remembered as the first stroke to a more colorful future.
To learn more about Mer Young and her work, visit her website here. Instagram: @youngmer @mausimurals
