Mural Project Celebrating

Essential Workers In Burke

The mural honoring Essential Workers in Burke County was designed by Ian Brownlee. Brownlee’s patience, care, and strong design sensibility carried the team through several design iterations as the scope of the design was refined to focus on first responders, medical professionals and educators in our area. This mural is truly an homage to these critical, local workers and the sacrifices they have made. A quilt of vibrant colors streams through the design highlighting these caring individuals including Carol Largent Ervin, Izabela Pablo Pedro Peeler, Keith Bowman, Ashleigh Taylor, and Josh Benfield. Brownlee hopes that the mural will inspire pride and ownership in the community, and that the mural, as its title reads, “honors the workers who help our community thrive.” The mural was also resourced through interviews with Adam Rawl, Georgina Mora, Daniel Gutierrez, Cecilia Jimenez, and Sharley Mendoza. 

The Industrial Commons

Design by Ian Brownlee

Ribbon Cutting at the mural with artists, models, steering committee members, supporters, and residents in Morganton.

Artists

The Steering Committee

  • Angie Valmassoi

  • Daniel McCurry

  • Debbie Sigmon

  • Jorge Trevino

  • Keith Bowman

Process

Community Mural Institute’s Process

  • Scouting | Identifying the Stories and Sites

  • Nominating | Identifying the Community Group (small group of 3-5 people to make key decisions for the project) and artists

  • Listening Sessions | The artists and CMI team lead the workshop, engaging our community in conversation and activities to solicit ideas for the theme and content of the mural. These sessions typically last 2 hours. 

  • Designing | The community input guides the muralists, who creates the design. The mural design is done by the artists and CMI team, who have years of experience translating complex and nuanced ideas into visual images that work well as a mural.

  • Painting | Once the mural design is approved by the project coordinators and design approval committee, it is projected onto specially prepared mural fabric, creating a giant paint-by-numbers. 

  • Paint Parties | The mural paint parties are free and open to all. People can paint for as little or as long and they want and no experience is necessary.  

  • Installation | The muralists then do the detail work and overpainting in the studio, before installing the mural permanently on the wall.

  • Ribbon Cutting | When the mural is complete, we all come together one last time for a ribbon cutting. We give thanks, take pictures, and celebrate what we all created together.