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Dozens of North Fair Oaks community members gathered at the Middlefield Road headquarters of El Concilio of San Mateo County on Thursday afternoon, June 13, for the unveiling of a new mural that represents both the 40-year journey of the organization itself as well as that of many Latino residents who traveled north for a better life in California.
The event, at 3180 Middlefield Road, was a chance for El Concilio staff, board members and supporters to come together for food and fellowship and to celebrate a colorful history all while orienting toward a bright future.
El Concilio Executive Director Ana Avendaño said the eye-catching artwork captures the duality many in the community feel between their heritage to the south and the tug of new opportunity in California. The work features two brown hands coming together between these two worlds as well as symbols of the organization’s work. There are also likenesses of Linda and Rebecca Lopez, sisters who played important roles in the founding of the organization.
Richard Muro-Salazar led the design, helping three interns from EPA Center in East Palo Alto to realize the vision. “The theme of the mural is migration and the assistance that is necessary to make it,” he said, adding that murals can be a sort of “visual healing.”
El Concilio, which was founded in 1980, has carved out a unique place in the North Fair Oaks community. It acts as a liaison between vulnerable communities and government agencies that can be intimidating or appear unwelcoming due to language or cultural barriers, according to its website. It seeks to collaborate with other community organizations on initiatives like youth leadership and response to climate change.
Recently, the organization developed a strategic plan meant to guide its work through 2027. That exhaustive effort included board and staff retreats, a community survey and listening tours to assure that organization efforts aligned with needs outside the newly painted building. El Concilio leadership emerged with four priorities: building community leadership, advocating for appropriate public policy, “systems navigation” to help people in the community get the resources they need, and building capacity for future work.
The mural project itself was a collaboration and part of a much wider effort to support artists across California, said Nadine Rambeau, executive director of EPA Center. Rambeau was in attendance for Thursday’s unveiling.
She explained that the state recognized that many artists were leaving California in the midst of uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. To counter that trend, the state initiated the California Creative Corps and granted money to organizations like hers in position to support local artists. State grant in hand, EPA Center then sought applications from area nonprofits, including El Concilio, that might benefit from a public arts project that would serve as a training ground for emerging artists and to brighten spirits all around.
“Artists don’t have enough work. It’s kind of at a crisis point,” Rambeau said. The beauty of projects like the one at El Concilio, Rambeau said, is that it “marries together” the work of two San Mateo County nonprofits that are both working toward the betterment of community.
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