https://rebecamendez.com Rebeca Mendez Fri, 28 Aug 2026 20:05:05 +0000 https://rebecamendez.com en https://rebecamendez.com/REBECA-MENDEZ-1 Fri, 19 Apr 2019 22:59:22 +0000 Rebeca Mendez https://rebecamendez.com/REBECA-MENDEZ-1 https://rebecamendez.com/INFO Thu, 20 Jun 2019 18:20:59 +0000 Rebeca Mendez https://rebecamendez.com/INFO Rebeca Méndez (Mexico City, 1962) is an interdisciplinary artist, designer, and educator examining reciprocal relationships and environmental justice in a multi-species world amid climate change, mass extinction, and a ravaging extractivist society. Her fieldwork has taken her to vulnerable environments and communities in the Arctic and threatened ecologies in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Méndez’s diverse works are driven by her interest in perception and embodied experience, and they develop within science and art, manifesting as immersive video and sound installations, public art, film, and performance. Bridging scientific and indigenous perspectives, Méndez has collaborated with major scientific institutions and the Acjachemen, Tongva, Ohlone, and Zapotec communities. Her works have been exhibited extensively worldwide, including at three PST ART: Art &amp; Science Collide exhibitions—Digital Witness: Revolutions in Design, Photography, and Film at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2024–25), Storm Cloud: Picturing our Climate Crisis at the The Huntington (2024–25), and Of Sea and Sky at the Mount Wilson Observatory (2024). Other exhibitions include Into the Time Horizon at the Nevada Museum of Art (2026), the 1st Gangwon International Triennale 2021 in Gangwon-do, Korea, and the 55th Venice Biennale. Méndez’s works are in permanent collections, including at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Oaxaca, and the El Paso Museum of Art, among others. Méndez has received significant recognition, including a California Community Foundation Fellowship, the Sally and Don Lucas Artists Residency, the CODA Award in Public Spaces, induction into the Alliance Graphique Internationale (2024) and the One Club Creative Hall of Fame (2017), the Medal of AIGA (2017), and the National Design Award in Communication Design (2012). Her work was showcased on the PBS NewsHour Art and Culture Series CANVAS. She earned a BFA and an MFA and received the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from Art Center College of Design. Méndez is a tenured professor in the Department of Design Media Arts at UCLA and the founder and director of the Counterforce Lab, a research studio that harnesses the power of art and design to engage with the reality of the global ecological crisis and its ties to environmental injustice.Selected Exhibitions: The Sea Around Us, Hammer Museum, Billy Wilder Theater, Los Angeles, California. June 3, 2026. Screening. (solo) Into the Time Horizon, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada. January 10, 2026–February 21, 2027. Curated by Apsara DiQuinzio. (group) Digital Witness: Revolutions in Design, Photography, and Film, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles, California. November 24, 2024–July 13, 2025. Curated by Britt Salvesen and Staci Steinberger. (group) Storm Cloud: Picturing the Origins of Our Climate Crisis, The Huntington, Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art, San Marino, California. September 14, 2024–January 6, 2025. Curated by Melinda McCurdy and Karla Nielsen. (group) The Sea Around Us, Laguna Art Museum, Art &amp; Nature Special Exhibition, Laguna Beach, California. November 3, 2022–February 6, 2023. Curated by Julie Perlin Lee. (solo) 1st Gangwon International Triennale 2021, Hongcheon-gun of Gangwon-do, Korea. September 30–November 7, 2021. Curated by Soo Mi Lim. (group) Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, Art Program. Ascent of Weavers / Ascenso de Tejedoras, 2018,&nbsp; U.S. Premiere, Chinese Theaters, Hollywood, California. August 4, 2018. (screening) IV Bienal Ciudad Juárez/El Paso Biennial 2015, Museo de Arte de Ciudad Juárez and El Paso Museum of Art. October 11, 2015–January 24, 2016. Curated by Eduardo Díaz and Santiago Espinosa de los Monteros. (group) 55th Venice Biennale, Maldives Pavilion, Pirate Cinema. June 1–November 24, 2013. Venice, Italy. Curated by Ehsan Fardjadniya and Miriam de Rosa. (group) Rebeca Méndez: At Any Given Moment, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada. September 1, 2012–January 20, 2013. Curated by JoAnne Northrup. (solo) Rebeca Méndez, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MACO), Oaxaca, México. July 15–October 3, 2011.&nbsp; Curated by Jorge Contreras. (solo) Rebeca Méndez: Selections from the Permanent Collection of Architecture and Design, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), San Francisco, California. July 17–October 20, 1998. Curated by Aaron Betsky. (solo) Selected Public Collections Letterform Archive, San Francisco (2017, 2026) Portland International Airport (PDX), Port Art Program (2025) Metro Art, Los Angeles (2023) Los Angeles Department of Arts and Culture, Los Angeles (2008, 2013, 2022) Art Directors Club, New York (2007, 2017, 2022) Pima County Public Art Program, AZ (2021) Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2018) Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Oaxaca, México (2018) Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York (1996, 2018) The One Club of New York (2017) El Paso Museum of Art, TX (2015) Hammer Museum, Grunwald Center, Los Angeles (2013) Mutual Art Global, New York (2013) Nevada Museum of Art, Center for Art &amp; Environment, Reno, NV (2012) Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, CA (2011) Artists Pension Trust, Mexico City (2009)Getty Research Collections, Los Angeles (2007) San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA (1998) ArtCenter College of Design Archives, Pasadena, CA (1996) Library of Congress, Washington, DC (1993) José Luis Cuevas Museum, Mexico City&nbsp;(1992) Denver Art Museum, CO (1990) American Institute of Graphic Arts, New York (1990) For more information, see Rebeca’s abridged&nbsp;Curriculum VitaeNETWORK Instagram Vimeo INITIATIVES / RESEARCH Counterforce Lab https://rebecamendez.com/PUBLIC-ART Tue, 04 Aug 2026 20:12:56 +0000 Rebeca Mendez https://rebecamendez.com/PUBLIC-ART https://rebecamendez.com/DESIGN Fri, 03 May 2019 19:44:25 +0000 Rebeca Mendez https://rebecamendez.com/DESIGN https://rebecamendez.com/MATERIA-VIVA-OR-THING-POWER-1 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 21:47:04 +0000 Rebeca Mendez https://rebecamendez.com/MATERIA-VIVA-OR-THING-POWER-1 MATERIA VIVA (OR THING POWER) <img width="2700" height="2460" width_o="2700" height_o="2460" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0bdaa56895af709d233a30fe6a42134379ef48495d25ea037fe111df16b5a59b/11_RMENDEZ_BART_MATERIA-VIVA_MURAL-ELEVATOR-3_2021-28.jpg" data-mid="249985820" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0bdaa56895af709d233a30fe6a42134379ef48495d25ea037fe111df16b5a59b/11_RMENDEZ_BART_MATERIA-VIVA_MURAL-ELEVATOR-3_2021-28.jpg" /> 2028 (Forthcoming) Permanent Public Art / Mural Photography, Chochenyo text, steel and glass panels Dimensions Variable Commissioned by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Located in Irvington Station, Fremont, CACommissioned by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), this permanent public artwork consists of a series of murals (~4,000 sq. ft.) for the newly built Irvington Station in Fremont, opening in 2028. Inspired by theorists Manuel DeLanda and Jane Bennett’s work on the vibrancy of matter, where every(thing) is alive, interconnected, and in process, the artwork aims to express, through a collage of entangled artifacts, the human experience of things and what we value at any given moment, through the eyes of the multiple voices of the region and throughout time. I collaborated with local paleontologists, historians, community members, and Vincent Medina, Chairman of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, to express the polyvocality of the region. By prominently featuring Ohlone material culture, the work explores “re-story-ation” through the decolonial practice of counter-mapping, expressing, through material goods and beings, the multiple peoples’ ways of knowing and being in the region—past, present, and future, both imaginative and speculative. The work incorporates poetry and songs in Chochenyo, the spoken language of the East Bay division of the Ohlone. For three years, we collected and photographed over 1,200 objects, including fossilized remains of ancient animals and plants; new and archival photographs of specimens from the UC Museum of Paleontology at Berkeley; historical photographs and objects from the Washington Township Museum and the collections of Mission Dolores and Mission San José; everyday objects such as a spoon and an N-95 mask, and cultural artifacts belonging to relatives of Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino. https://rebecamendez.com/WALKING-THE-EARTH-OREGON-1 Tue, 04 Mar 2025 18:29:25 +0000 Rebeca Mendez https://rebecamendez.com/WALKING-THE-EARTH-OREGON-1 WALKING THE EARTH: OREGON <img width="3800" height="2184" width_o="3800" height_o="2184" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/45bb0f2886f1608c48dcb7c030ad65c266bf9519030250887c7fdd5843241f12/2026_WALKING-THE-EARTH-TRIPTYCH-HIGH-RES_single-walker.jpg" data-mid="249686179" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/45bb0f2886f1608c48dcb7c030ad65c266bf9519030250887c7fdd5843241f12/2026_WALKING-THE-EARTH-TRIPTYCH-HIGH-RES_single-walker.jpg" /> 2025 2-channel video installation / Permanent public video art installation Two (2) digital screens 60:00 min., 20’ x 140’ ft Commissioned by Portland International Airport (PDX) Located in North and South Security Checkpoints, Portland International Airport, Portland, OR In September 2023, the Portland International Airport (PDX) invited me to create a public art commission for their new terminal. The architect Sharron van der Meulen described her vision for the new terminal as creating ‘spaces drawn on the fresh feeling of walking through our region’s many parks.’ This became an&nbsp;opportunity to add a new chapter to my long-term project, Walking The Earth, which I began in 2013 and explores walking as a research and art practice and serves as a meditation on how ‘space’ becomes ‘place’ when imbued with our presence. To experience the earth on a slow walk, the objective is to intentionally shift from reaching a destination to being fully present in the journey. This practice, also known as mindful walking, helps to quiet mental chatter and deepen your connection with the natural world by engaging all your senses—an embodied experience. Paying attention enables us to instill the act of walking with greater significance.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Walking centers the body in a research practice. The body that gets cold, sweaty, thirsty, or blistered. The body that encompasses feelings, emotions, prejudices, as well as intellect... It is about the visceral exchanges between a sensing body in motion and the bodies of knowledge sequestered in the phenomena that make up a site of research.” — Alice Twemlow, Walking as Research Practice, 2024.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Walking The Earth is an ever-growing, multi-channel video installation consisting of a series of vertical screens, each displaying a video recording of the artist walking the earth along the horizon line.&nbsp; <img width="3800" height="2184" width_o="3800" height_o="2184" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ada74bac0e4ba4074fb84b5fe269da279b1a0e901597c50b944b8d0035edba9a/2026_WALKING-THE-EARTH-TRIPTYCH-HIGH-RES_single-walker_2-copy.jpg" data-mid="249686480" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ada74bac0e4ba4074fb84b5fe269da279b1a0e901597c50b944b8d0035edba9a/2026_WALKING-THE-EARTH-TRIPTYCH-HIGH-RES_single-walker_2-copy.jpg" /> https://rebecamendez.com/UNDERWATER-SUNLIGHT Wed, 26 Jul 2023 22:25:11 +0000 Rebeca Mendez https://rebecamendez.com/UNDERWATER-SUNLIGHT UNDERWATER SUNLIGHT Permanent public art / Mural / Mosaic glass tile 2100 sq. ft / Dimensions Variable Commissioned by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture Located at the Greater Whittier Regional Aquatic Center, Whittier, CA 2022 Underwater Sunlight, 2022 is a permanent public art by Mexican artist Rebeca Méndez commissioned by The Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture for the Greater Whittier Regional Aquatic Center in Whittier, California. The artwork consists of 2100 sq. ft. of ceiling and wall murals crafted with 12mm square glass mosaics depicting the sunlight seen from underwater as one's breath bubbles rise towards the surface. Water themed poetry by local high school students and the region's history of water are depicted in typographic mosaics. <img width="2660" height="1496" width_o="2660" height_o="1496" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4adaaa15b98d5b514b8dafb8276f04bd52a951493a6a6f9246d5bb009f05876b/_DSC0482.jpeg" data-mid="186198241" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4adaaa15b98d5b514b8dafb8276f04bd52a951493a6a6f9246d5bb009f05876b/_DSC0482.jpeg" /> <img width="4240" height="2384" width_o="4240" height_o="2384" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c7dad395a23b1375c9f34448b9f3aae558734fe6b02dbd305f83d16f5e83262d/25.jpeg" data-mid="187508645" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c7dad395a23b1375c9f34448b9f3aae558734fe6b02dbd305f83d16f5e83262d/25.jpeg" /> <img width="3497" height="1966" width_o="3497" height_o="1966" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/be55b90860a4c9a51e051fc425a43cab33ad7769afedb14bf1e666fac167cb28/26.jpeg" data-mid="187508646" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/be55b90860a4c9a51e051fc425a43cab33ad7769afedb14bf1e666fac167cb28/26.jpeg" /> <img width="4002" height="2438" width_o="4002" height_o="2438" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ae42fadc0da4b18c636e5562b0880c4b76ade070d09443d7d285aa1a532c61f6/_DSC0016-v2.jpeg" data-mid="186196068" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ae42fadc0da4b18c636e5562b0880c4b76ade070d09443d7d285aa1a532c61f6/_DSC0016-v2.jpeg" /> &nbsp; <img width="4113" height="2313" width_o="4113" height_o="2313" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fe3c0144699606c79d86e1096b3618544f0d85d7a8a354524a470f77ccdf4976/_DSC0180-Enhanced-NR.jpeg" data-mid="186196283" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fe3c0144699606c79d86e1096b3618544f0d85d7a8a354524a470f77ccdf4976/_DSC0180-Enhanced-NR.jpeg" /> Underwater Sunlight, 2022. Glass Mosaic. From seas to skies, from rain to rivers, water and its endless manifestations form a cyclical connection that binds all living things. Six thousand years ago, the Gabrielino Native Americans settled in the San Gabriel Mountains and watershed and to this day the river like an artery flows lifeblood into the human and non-human communities which settle there today including Whittier. The Arroyo Seco was one of the first interventions by the city to create safe and supervised swimming holes by what was then called the Los Angeles Playground Department in 1916. As pools became ubiquitous in California through the first half of the century, segregation of these spaces became increasingly insidious—continuing covertly today through privatized swimming pools. Municipal pools today serve as a democratizing force, providing resources like sports, education, and most importantly the joy of swimming to all community members regardless of socioeconomic status or race. Water binds us in its all-embracing form, and the pool becomes a communal body. <img width="3686" height="2073" width_o="3686" height_o="2073" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/20d9a59a270635ebd19e2e859f7cd78cc0f976264c08cb32f789e77760d77c28/2023_RMENDEZ_WHITTIER-AQUATIC-CENTER_DSC0494-4-copy.jpg" data-mid="187506870" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/20d9a59a270635ebd19e2e859f7cd78cc0f976264c08cb32f789e77760d77c28/2023_RMENDEZ_WHITTIER-AQUATIC-CENTER_DSC0494-4-copy.jpg" /> <img width="2058" height="1646" width_o="2058" height_o="1646" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bfc5ea0fa5fa4d02bb36aad1ee81dd689a9f8f669fd0f8c2500c61716e1cde5e/2023_RMENDEZ_WHITTIER-AQUATIC-CENTER_DSC0319.JPG" data-mid="187502335" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bfc5ea0fa5fa4d02bb36aad1ee81dd689a9f8f669fd0f8c2500c61716e1cde5e/2023_RMENDEZ_WHITTIER-AQUATIC-CENTER_DSC0319.JPG" /> <img width="1868" height="1080" width_o="1868" height_o="1080" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/503be4282665787fc9d5d35d64bf185818e0c1ea596ff6326e08dfc601344b33/Triptych_V2.jpg" data-mid="187503347" border="0" data-scale="92" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/503be4282665787fc9d5d35d64bf185818e0c1ea596ff6326e08dfc601344b33/Triptych_V2.jpg" /> <img width="4240" height="2384" width_o="4240" height_o="2384" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5556e1d19d89082fef40a32c4ca5281a817032017846d78c8ab18b47edb78195/19.jpeg" data-mid="187504275" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5556e1d19d89082fef40a32c4ca5281a817032017846d78c8ab18b47edb78195/19.jpeg" /> Underwater Sunlight The concept of the artwork stems from Méndez’s memories of being submerged underwater looking up to the sky and seeing her breath bubbles slowly float to the surface, creating a shimmering effect as the bubbles refracted the sunlight. Most of us have had such glorious experiences. She recalls the memory as follows: Summer sun is beaming white hot. Its rage is in full effect — the pool is calling. We beg Mom to take us swimming; we jump into our bathing suits, pack into the car, and then suddenly, “don’t run at the pool!” Mom yells. I dive into cool relief. Submerged under the water, looking up before the surface, mercurial bubbles speed towards streaming sunlight — weightless — time in suspension. Rushing towards the silver halo, I rise in a singular swoop, and the fluid membrane breaks into one million lucid fragments as my parched lungs inflate — I dive back in. <img width="3379" height="1900" width_o="3379" height_o="1900" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5166f6d27549d9d911ca9867c329cc103293fc485e2084ec95073c8087a58399/23.jpeg" data-mid="187504280" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5166f6d27549d9d911ca9867c329cc103293fc485e2084ec95073c8087a58399/23.jpeg" /> Community engagement&nbsp; UCLA students and alumni are referred to as 'Bruins' and the Whittier College community are 'Poets.’ In 2013, Whittier College recognized Chilean author Isabel Allende with an honorary doctorate in humane letters. Méndez celebrates this legacy by honoring 10 students from Whittier Pioneer High School, which is just around the corner from the aquatic center, with showcasing their poems at the Center’s main entrance mural. The theme for the poetry is water. Méndez conducted an open call that was juried by a Pioneer High School teacher and herself. The selections complete the permanent public art to be enjoyed by generations to come. <img width="3490" height="1952" width_o="3490" height_o="1952" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/235b48a6210a3b21ab43253cf29eb90d236db7da0309967c085b29bc7592af27/22.jpeg" data-mid="187504278" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/235b48a6210a3b21ab43253cf29eb90d236db7da0309967c085b29bc7592af27/22.jpeg" /> <img width="3118" height="1834" width_o="3118" height_o="1834" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c4b287693a694b3b66a52861588204a819533fb538704f2c00a51dfd73fe4dcc/21.jpeg" data-mid="187504277" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c4b287693a694b3b66a52861588204a819533fb538704f2c00a51dfd73fe4dcc/21.jpeg" /> Fabrication and Installation&nbsp; Fabrication process began in December 2021 and was completed in June 2022, and was performed by Mosaicos Venecianos de México in Cuernavaca, Morelos, México. Méndez selected MVM for their excellent reputation and for the artists they’ve served, including Mexican muralists David Alfaro Siqueiros and Diego Rivera, as well as her own METRO murals. She traveled twice to review the work. Installation was performed with great care by Continental Tile in Corona, California. <img width="3738" height="2384" width_o="3738" height_o="2384" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/37df22b9ce701b9c415c03e8e304018c2c610993f7e77f1d99cacfc471119d1c/_DSC0339-Edit.jpeg" data-mid="187503758" border="0" data-scale="92" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/37df22b9ce701b9c415c03e8e304018c2c610993f7e77f1d99cacfc471119d1c/_DSC0339-Edit.jpeg" /> <img width="4240" height="2384" width_o="4240" height_o="2384" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7a51a9bdaa2e39f03834168b6bee74255dddf5fd2c3ef0061de517eb7a8231e6/24.jpeg" data-mid="187508253" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7a51a9bdaa2e39f03834168b6bee74255dddf5fd2c3ef0061de517eb7a8231e6/24.jpeg" /> <img width="3397" height="1910" width_o="3397" height_o="1910" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/904803a21f3eecd9c991ff0a38d29513ecffcb8fc966ee0cb8aa828d2bfcfece/2023_RMENDEZ_WHITTIER-AQUATIC-CENTER_DSC0443-v2-copy.jpg" data-mid="187507691" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/904803a21f3eecd9c991ff0a38d29513ecffcb8fc966ee0cb8aa828d2bfcfece/2023_RMENDEZ_WHITTIER-AQUATIC-CENTER_DSC0443-v2-copy.jpg" /> https://rebecamendez.com/JANUARY-8TH-MEMORIAL-THE-EMBRACE Sat, 01 May 2021 20:34:23 +0000 Rebeca Mendez https://rebecamendez.com/JANUARY-8TH-MEMORIAL-THE-EMBRACE JANUARY 8TH MEMORIAL: THE EMBRACE <img width="2000" height="1332" width_o="2000" height_o="1332" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/afd95b5744c649d6b26c212675cac0a116ec0de27daefe99ea24629097ae5bbd/RMENDEZ_JAN8THMEMORIAL_01_72.jpg" data-mid="107102144" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/afd95b5744c649d6b26c212675cac0a116ec0de27daefe99ea24629097ae5bbd/RMENDEZ_JAN8THMEMORIAL_01_72.jpg" /> 2021 Permanent Public Art / Memorial and surrounding gardens / Symbolic artwork Commissioned by the January 8th Memorial Foundation Located in El Presidio Park, Tucson, AZ An Embrace in Remembrance of Tragedy and Celebration of Democracy Tucson’s January 8th Memorial is a collaboration between Chee Salette, landscape architect and architect, and Rebeca Méndez, visual artist. Chee Salette’s landscape and architecture, together with Méndez’s symbolic artwork, honor the victims and survivors of the mass shooting and the resilience of the community. Photography by Iwan Baan Honoring the victims and survivors of the 2011 shooting at then Representative Gabrielle Giffords’ “Congress on your Corner.” The Memorial is an embrace. In a single gesture, its landforms become healing arms protecting the inner memorial, where the story of January 8th is told. Carved into the landscape of El Presidio Park, the Memorial is a place of contemplation and reflection where visitors can honor the victims and survivors of this tragic event, who were there to engage in democracy, and the first responders who stopped the violence and saved lives. Symbols telling this story are cut into this collective wall of memories, forming constellations that speak of the people who died, survived, and responded on that day, and recall Tucson’s history of resilience. In the surrounding gardens, the earthforms of the Living Wall protect the Memorial. It evolves over time and changes with the seasons, yet it is timeless and spans generations, an organic landscape of stone and plants woven in a pattern that evokes ancient basket weaving. People plant seeds in its crevices, where life takes root, a celebration of Tucson’s togetherness in the face of tragedy, and a manifestation of the healing of its community. https://rebecamendez.com/CIRCUMSOLAR-MIGRATION-4-1 Wed, 19 Jun 2019 18:14:38 +0000 Rebeca Mendez https://rebecamendez.com/CIRCUMSOLAR-MIGRATION-4-1 CIRCUMSOLAR, MIGRATION 4 <img width="9000" height="9556" width_o="9000" height_o="9556" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bd6ccc01ddba3eb9b25f4af98f5b9998b2e827e17e7560c9ac12d5c16c62c6c2/CircumSolar--Migration-4_2.jpg" data-mid="48737274" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bd6ccc01ddba3eb9b25f4af98f5b9998b2e827e17e7560c9ac12d5c16c62c6c2/CircumSolar--Migration-4_2.jpg" /> Permanent public art / Mural / Smalti hand-cut mosaic glass tile / 16’ x 14.5’ ft Commissioned by Metro Art, Los Angeles Located in K Line, Expo / Crenshaw Station, Concourse Level, Los Angeles 2021While Angelenos spend their lives in fortunate climes, the arctic tern— the world champion in long-distance migration of the animal kingdom— is occupied with its annual commute from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back again, flying over a 50,000 miles, always heading towards the 24-hour light of the polar summer, making it the creature that lives the most daylight of all living beings. Titled CircumSolar, Migration 4, this is my second mosaic mural at the Crenshaw metro station, and depicts the view, as seen from my camera lens, of panning the skies in search of the arctic tern, catching a glimpse of the bird’s swift wing, backlit by the arctic summer sunrays. CircumSolar, Migration 4 is an ode to the resilience, grace and determination of the more than five billion birds that, in pursuit of sustenance, migrate across our planet every spring and autumn, guided by the sun. It is also an apt metaphor for the daily commuters of Metro, many of them immigrants themselves. Fabricated by Mosaicos Venecianos de México in Cuernavaca, México. Images courtesy of Metro Art and Flaunt Magazine. &nbsp; https://rebecamendez.com/MARTHA-1 Fri, 28 Aug 2026 20:05:05 +0000 Rebeca Mendez https://rebecamendez.com/MARTHA-1 MARTHA: THE LAST PASSENGER PIGEON <img width="3264" height="4928" width_o="3264" height_o="4928" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d1c0f58d082f143fd3efccea1bcefa014aab137041c899355a689299fc437806/cone_1_vertical_v5.jpg" data-mid="251672172" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d1c0f58d082f143fd3efccea1bcefa014aab137041c899355a689299fc437806/cone_1_vertical_v5.jpg" /> Permanent public art / Murals Commissioned by University of Cincinnati Located at the University of Cincinnati Recreation Center, Marché, Cincinnati, OH 2018 The University of Cincinnati commissioned Méndez to create another mural 11 years after completing her iconic investigation of giant reed grass on the conical walls of a 350,000-square-foot recreation center designed by Thom Mayne and his firm Morphosis. Painting on top of her existing work, she would continue working across scales, but this time uncovering the unprecedented destruction of biodiversity. Living through the sixth mass extinction, nearly 1,000,000 species are at risk of becoming extinct within the next century, according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. The story of the passenger pigeon, whose colonies once blackened for hours the day’s sky, serves as a poignant lesson. In 1914, the last passenger pigeon in the world, Martha, was found dead in her cage at the Cincinnati Zoo, marking the extinction of her species: completely decimated by game hunting and the myth of an inexhaustible nature, a view that plagues industry to this day. The mural is an ode to Martha and her song, once booming with the force of billions now ringing in deafening silence as a dire warning in the age of the Holocene extinction. .information-content-wrapper{ text-justify: inter-word; } .content-content-wrapper{ text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-word; }