Who Decides? S.P.O.T.S. The Game
Who Decides? S.P.O.T.S. The Game
Exhibition: August 20, 2022 – June 19, 2023
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 20, 12pm-2pm
Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm
Location: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
Who Decides? S.P.O.T.S. The Game is an interactive mural that asks audiences to play. The game is made up of different decisions and actions that must be taken. Players are welcome to choose from 10 different characters and follow prompts.
Who Decides? was created throughout the summer of 2022 in the SPOTS youth public arts program. Students in the program developed ideas revolving around contemporary issues such as war, education, bodily autonomy, and choice. They then decided to enter these conversations through the playful guise of the “game”. As you travel through the game board you will see a dragon which represents a multicultural connection and prompts us to participate in voting. As the image flows through space, there are landing spots dedicated to different actions – healing, dancing, risk, gambles, etc. The players travel through a medical symbol of the caduceus intertwined with a fist of divine femininity towards a giant sun setting on the water in front of the maquilishuat tree – the national tree of El Salvador, and a butterfly representing immigration. We see playing cards depicting half bullets and crayons, addressing the notion of ingrained violence in the U.S. affecting the most vulnerable in society. The game passes through the realm of a goddess who is a guardian, giving energy to players and defending their rights to autonomy and self-sovereignty. The underground layer below her is filled with diamonds and riches, a nod to the beauty the earth carries and the humans need to extract it.
Designed and Painted by:
Luis Camarena
Maat Ou
Miranda Guzman
Yahir Garcia
Sonia Galindo
Andrea Vasquez
Mariella Gutierrez
Andrew Chico
Azahria Addison
Leslie Poblano
Lead Artists/Directors:
Keena Romano
Fredericko Alvarado
About the Program: SPOTS is an acronym for Supporting Peoples Outlooks, Talents, and Speech. Through “Muralism, Actions, and Community Activations” the program introduces young artists to the means to create vibrant community art works. Each year a cohort of artists (ages 14-24) learn about different models of community art projects, help to define how the program will affect local youth, and create a collaborative mural project.
Top image: Detail of the mural
