Nurturing Our Neighborhoods: Proyecto Saber’s mural of resilience

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When Albert Albanes heard Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (DNDA) launched applications for arts and culture grants to fund local initiatives, he was thrilled to apply. Albert and his team in the Proyecto Saber program at Denny International Middle School were looking for grants to develop a cultural arts project for Latinx students.

“We wanted to create a space in our school where students, families, and the Latino community could be celebrated in education,” Albert said.

Proyecto Saber is a Seattle Public Schools program designed to help middle and high school students celebrate their Latinx culture and feel empowered at school through safe spaces and support from Latinx teachers and counselors. Latinx students often face complex intersections of identities, such as language, culture, immigration, and being first-generation students in America. The program, which includes an elective course, encourages Latinx students to connect with peers who share similar experiences, reflect on their heritages, and develop ambitious educational goals. 

Albert and his team hoped for their students to have the opportunity to create a Proyecto Saber mural from start to finish, understanding that the project would help kids connect with their identities and feel empowered at school each time they walked by the mural. DNDA agreed, awarding a $3,000 grant to Proyecto Saber earlier this year. 

“Students see themselves in the school through the artwork on the school walls,” Albert said. “It is so important they have a space where they can reflect and think about their identities while being represented by the school.”

DNDA was able to support Proyecto Saber’s mural through funding from the City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS). ARTS allocated more than $1 million to 14 organizations across Seattle to support arts and culture projects and uplift local organizations impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. ARTS selected DNDA as one of the organizations to disperse grants to projects, specifically those serving Delridge and West Seattle. 

After hearing the good news, Albert got to work planning the mural project. He first connected with a local Latinx artist, Carlos Martinez, who specializes in symbolic paintings. Then, Albert sent out a survey to his students and their families asking what they wanted to see reflected in the mural. The responses flooded in, with overarching themes including immigrant experiences, indigenous history, and cultural resilience. 

“The artist had a vision to simplify and symbolize everything the families said because there were so many important themes,” Albert said. 

Carlos and Proyecto Saber students designed and painted the mural — located near the entrance of the school — over the course of 10 full days in August. The mural incorporates Proyecto Saber’s symbol of the Aztec calendar, butterflies showing the experience of immigration, praying mantises signifying hardship, human-like sunflowers representing identity and growth, and caterpillars to complete the cycle. 

After the mural was completed, the Proyecto Saber team hosted a gathering for students and their families to celebrate the permanent piece of art on the campus, serving as a constant reminder of belonging, strength, and resilience. 

“They were all just really proud,” Albert said. “Everyone was able to reflect, interpreting the art for themselves.”

We are grateful to Albert, the Proyecto Saber team, Seattle Public Schools, and ARTS for giving DNDA the opportunity to support this amazing project. Subscribe to DNDA’s newsletters for more “Nurturing Our Neighborhoods” stories at dnda.org/get-involved. 

– Written by DNDA’s Communications Team