Aratti
2024 Mid-Career Project Grantee | $10,000
Builders of Cultural Wealth mural
Aratti designed and painted a mural themed after Latin-American cultural festivities. This mural is meant to be a gift and tribute to all teachers and community members around the east side who spend time and resources educating our youth on Indigenous traditions that help kids mature their sense of identity and belonging into our communities. The wall was designed with the feedback of students and community members.
Artist statement
English
First and foremost I want to extend my gratitude to all Native American nations who help steward this land from which all of us are sustained. Locally, the Anishinaabe, Ojibwe and Sioux nations have been working hard to preserve ancient knowledge that directly impacts the health of our ecosystem and food sources. As people of the “modern” world, our long lives are owed to them.
The concept for this mural is a school trip to a rural farm, where students and teachers learn all about healthy food and where it comes from, as part of their required education. This painting is inspired by all the farm workers who have fed and taught us for generations how to sustain ourselves by keeping our culture and traditions alive. Special thanks to the teachers and staff of Academia Cesar Chavez for the incredible support and patience shown to get this project done.
Declaración del artista
Español
En primer lugar, quiero expresar mi gratitud a todas las naciones nativas americanas que ayudan a cuidar esta tierra de la que todos nos sustentamos. Localmente, las naciones Anishinaabe, Ojibwe y Sioux han trabajado arduamente para preservar el antiguo conocimiento que impacta directamente en la salud de nuestro ecosistema y fuentes de alimento. Como personas del mundo “moderno,” les debemos nuestra larga vida.
El concepto de este mural es una excursión escolar a una granja rural. Donde los estudiantes y los maestros aprenden todo sobre los alimentos saludables y de dónde provienen como parte de su educación obligatoria. Esta pintura está inspirada en todos los trabajadores agrícolas que nos han alimentado y enseñado durante generaciones cómo sustentarse manteniendo viva nuestra cultura y tradiciones. Un agradecimiento especial a los maestros y al personal de la Academia Cesar Chavez por el increíble apoyo y paciencia demostrados para llevar a cabo este proyecto.
Tomás Araya (Aratti) is an architect and multimedia artist from Chile who emigrated to the US in 2018. Since then, Tomás has been a full time artist, taking part of several public art installations, including Murals, sculptures and traditional visual art exhibitions. He deeply believes in art as a catalyst that encourages people to think, meditate and reimagine a world that is not necessarily the already established convention of society. Tomas is native to the Diaguita tribes of the Andes mountains in south america, his work passes down teachings that relate the connection to nature with the creative process. aratti-design.com.
Tomás Araya (Aratti) was also a Forecast 2022 Mid-Career Project Grantee.
The McKnight Foundation generously enables Forecast to provide Professional Development Grants for mid-career artists seeking to expand their work in the field of public art. Forecast mid- and early-career grants are designed to support independent projects, leadership development, professional development, risk-taking, multidisciplinary approaches, and collaborative problem-solving in the field of public art.
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