Photo caption: The ¡Viva La Vida! mural, with its joyous colors, words and imagery, is a vibrant call to celebrate life and Latin American heritage.
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On July 16, 2024, City of Washington residents gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially unveil a 3,300-square-foot mural, located on the rear wall of the Bobby Andrews Recreation Center overlooking the well-traveled highway 264.
Designed and painted by Garner-based artist George Le Chevallier, the mural was created in collaboration with residents, facilitated by Washington’s Latino Outreach Coordinator Abigail Cabrera. The celebration included bilingual messages of gratitude from community stakeholders, a photo presentation of the project’s development, refreshments and a raffle.
“A day like this makes me proud to be the mayor and represent a city that welcomes all cultures into our community,” said Mayor Donald Sadler. “It makes for a better community, a better city, and a better county.”
The creative process for the mural centered community engagement.
Early workshops were open to all and welcomed residents to share words and imagery of cultural importance, while additional sessions allowed the community to give feedback as the design developed.
Centered on the mural the words ¡Viva La Vida! (Live Life!) stretch across a sarape, a traditional Mexican blanket. Flanking the composition are flowers that represent diverse Latin American countries and coastal imagery that honors both the local ecosystem and the crucial role the Latine community plays in supporting and expanding Washington’s blue crab businesses.
Artist Le Chevallier brought his passion for community-based work to the city by holding art classes and open painting sessions that gathered more than 350 local students to bring the mural to life. This layered approach to engagement resulted in a vibrant work of art and a sense of ownership, authentic representation and pride.
“I believe that it is extremely important for me, as a Latinx artist, to convey a positive message that embraces the human spirit,” said Le Chevallier. “Through art we can unite our collective experiences, fostering cultural pride and ultimately preserving our heritage.”
This project was funded through ZSR’s Inclusive Public Art Initiative (IPA) in partnership with The Mellon Foundation.
In 2023, ZSR awarded 1.6 million dollars in IPA grants to nine organizations spanning North Carolina. Public art installations for the second cohort of IPA grant partners are anticipated to be completed by December 2025.