By Katie Auman
Recently, 20 community members painted a mural with Poudre Libraries and artist Carla Gamboa for Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month. The vibrant mural, titled “From LATAM to FoCo,” is located outside the Northside Aztlan Community Center on a City-owned storage container.
Gamboa describes the mural as representing “the heart coming out of the open land of Latin America.” Her design depicts “the culture of those who cross the border and their feelings about building a new community in a country they now call home.”
On a Friday afternoon in October, Gamboa, her daughter Marina, and fellow artists Diana Castro and Károl de Reuda, outlined the art design on the container. Nearly 20 community members spent time painting the artwork and filling in the design the next day. Even players from the nearby basketball courts took a turn at painting.
Immediately, visitors will notice colorful landscapes and images representing the culture of more than 20 Latin American countries. The mural features the quetzal of Mexico and Guatemala, the colorful houses of the Caribbean, the monarch butterfly, and more. Yellow butterflies represent the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the piñata, and much more.
“This mural shows the love, the culture, and the gratitude,” says Gamboa. “We show the mountains, the forest, the rivers, and the deserts that we have in our hearts, the nostalgic symbols of what we left behind. We honor the cultures and the hearts of those who are meaningful for us.”
Poudre Libraries & the City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places to identify a location for the mural. The Library will officially gift the artwork to the City and the community. More information about the artist, Carla Gamboa, is available at www. carlagamboa.com.
