Press Release: High School Students Complete Tlaxcala Sister City Mural
A new mural will soon go up in the Garaman Tunnel underpass, created by JH High School students to celebrate the relationship between sister cities Jackson and Tlaxcala, Mexico. All are invited to the unveiling of the mural - titled Tlaxcala - on Friday, November 18, 2022 at 4pm. Enjoy cider and cookies in Garaman Park (rain or shine) and join the participating students and teacher Gabriel Lopez for an official ribbon cutting with Jackson’s Mayor Hailey Morton Levinson at 4:15pm.
Thirty-five high school students contributed to the new mural project, as part of a Spanish Through Art class taught by Gabriel Lopez. In this upper-level Spanish language class, students develop their Spanish skills through learning about Mexican art and create a work of art at the end of every thematic unit. This fall students had the unique opportunity to collaborate on a giant mural for JH Community Pathways and JH Public Art, representing Jackson’s sister city Tlaxcala, Mexico.
Over the last thirty years, many people from the Tlaxcala state have emigrated to Jackson and the surrounding region. The mural depicts the richness of Tlaxcala, which is located east of Mexico City at approximately 7,000 feet above sea level. Students studied the history of the region and selected elements to represent local plantlife, folk art and dance, significant Olmec-Xicalanca archaeological sites, historical buildings from the town of San Simeon, and two nearby volcanoes Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. This mural - at 76 feet in length - was a large undertaking, and teacher Gabriel Lopez notes: “I knew it was going to be a challenge but I was more excited for my students to see that they are capable of accomplishing big things.”
Participating Students:
Pamela Carrillo
Alejandro Chavez
Nicole Checker
Arielle d’Arge
Derek Diaz
Joseph DiMarco
Flynn Ellis
Joshua Finck Martinez
Jimena Hernandez Alonso
Yenerlin Iraheta
Owen Janssen
Gracen Rosenberg
Blanca Sartillo-Mejia
Marco Sosa
Noel Tzompa-Sanchez
Maya Worcester
Isaac Zarate Carrillo
Hugo Alvarado Villegas
Marcoantonio Barraza Torrecillas
Joshua Correa Pineda
Travis D’Amours
Brian Diaz Morillon
Donna Farag
Itzel Garcia Tzompa
Yeraldy Gonzales Corona
Trent Healy
Roxana Martinez Martinez
Clara McGee
Keysi Mendez Rodriguez
Arath Munoz Ochoa
Miranda Ruiz Ayala
Bodie Turner
Jana Turner
Lucy Turner
Destinee Vazquez
Deagan Wilson
Being a member of the team that got to make this mural makes me feel incredibly grateful. I've learned from this experience that this mural is more than just artwork; for many locals in the community, it symbolizes a part of their home.
– JH High School Student Nicole Checker
ABOUT JH COMMUNITY PATHWAYS
Jackson Hole Community Pathways is the pathways and trails program of the Town of Jackson and Teton County. Since completion of the first shared-use pathway in the Town of Jackson in 1996, the system has grown to include more than 50 miles of pathways that provide safe connections for non-motorized transportation and recreation throughout Teton County and linking to the pathway system in Grand Teton National Park. For more information on pathways, contact Brian Schilling at bschilling@tetoncountywy.gov
ABOUT JACKSON HOLE PUBLIC ART
JH Public Art forges partnerships for the integration of art into any environment to inspire lasting cultural, educational and economic benefits. JHPA is a non-profit organization and our community’s leading presenter of artist-driven projects in public spaces. We place artworks outside traditional venues of museums and galleries to provide access to art for all people. For more information on public art contact: Carrie Geraci, Executive Director at carrie@jhpublicart.org