Our school campus is beautifully covered in murals, and a new one is now being added to this collection. On a wall between the 40s and 30s hall, anyone can walk by and see Lia Nilson, Francisco “Poncho” Mendoza and Angle Poblano working on their masterpiece.

The mural is a beautiful one that combines Mendoza’s style of “tagging” or graffiti and Nilson’s classical touch. The colors are bold and vibrant, surrounding an extravagant peacock, a beautiful young girl, and natural scenery.

One may ask them self, how does this all come together, and what is the meaning behind it? In simple terms, the mural is a description of high school, where vanity clashes with innocence. Peacocks are beautiful animals that have no function in nature: they are vain creatures. The young girl is innocent, independent of the people around her. Yet when the tail feathers of the peacock approach her, they have eyes on them and are judging everything she does because she is different from them. The birds that will surround the feathers are doves to show that she is able to uplift herself from this vanity and stay true to herself, and say that there is beauty if everything. The girl in the end chooses self confidence over the pressure of the peacock and the ever-watching eyes, and is able to find the most positive aspects in herself and others. This message will be tied up with a quote from Maya Angelo that says:

“A free bird leaps

On the back of the wind

And floats downstream

Till the current ends

And dips his wing in the orange sun rays

And dares to claim the sky”

The overall message is a wonderful one that the artists hope to convey all future Montgomery students: that they should stay true to themselves and not let the pressures of society hold them down.

The experience of painting the mural has also been positive for the artists. When asked what she has learned most from the experience, Nilson said that she has had to learn compromise because “perfection is not what is important here. It is the message.” She and the other artists have also enjoyed hearing other students’ positive feedback and love being able to leave their mark on the school.