Mural in Orange County high school celebrates peace

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Gilbert High School in Anaheim celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating the “Peace Wall” mural as part of the CITYarts “50 States of Peace” initiative on Thursday, November 14. This is the campaign's second mural and represents California’s inspiration for peace.  

Special guests who attended the ceremony included Anaheim City Council member Carlos Leon, Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, and the Head Consul of the Consulate of Mexico in Santa Ana Audrey Rivera. 

“This represents an effort to promote peace within the Anaheim community. This is a valued effort and an example for the youth,” Rivera said. 

Quirk-Silva was a teacher for nearly 30 years and believes it is important for communities to stand together in times like these. The mural reflects that.  

“Now more than ever, we must believe in hope. We must look for justice. We must look for ways to build our communities, to make our communities not fear, but to work together. We have to stand together in times like this, where our communities are going to feel that they are under attack, but we have to say ‘Our doors are open,’” Quirk-Silva said. 

CITYarts founder, executive, and creative director Tsipi Ben-Haim worked with teacher Janelle Frese and artist Jamie Kough for this student-driven “Pieces for Peace” artwork project. 

The idea for the project began during a discussion on social justice in Frese’s ethnic studies class. Students learned about Indigenous people's history in the United States and discussed the Leonard Peltier clemency case.

Students discussed racial and social justice, and a project came to light. They researched, investigated and thought about the idea of what is peace. 

“I think the best part of this journey has been the students who embraced the question, ‘What does peace look like to you?’ which is a curriculum that came from CITYarts New York,” Frese said. 

“We were invited to answer that question in our classroom and we started getting a variety of ideas from students. It was their imaginations that became the power behind this movement,” she continued. 

After holding an art exhibition in the spring of 2023, students wanted to continue the peace conversation and called for a public mural. Kough worked with students on the mural which was completed on Thursday, May 23, just before graduation. 

“We had work to do, and when you have work to do, you got to get busy, you got to take action. You have to be careful, and you have to make sure that everybody understands the ‘why.’ It starts with the roots and then you build from there,” Frese said. 

The words “Justice,” “Destiny,” “Love 4 All” and “Hope” are some of the words that draw your eyes to the mural. A quote by Mexico’s 26th president Benito Juárez, “Respect for the rights of others is peace,” holds the mural together. 

The quote was handwritten by Victor Araiza, an alum of Gilbert High School who graduated last year. His mother, Haydee Maldonado, is proud of this moment.

“It feels nice. I never thought he would be asked to do something like this. It’s a good feeling,” Maldonado said. “Peace is something we need.”

A piece of the mural also shares a quote by Peltier: “No human being should ever have to fear for his own life because of political or religious beliefs. We are all in this together, my friends, the rich, the poor, the red, white, Black, Brown and yellow. We share responsibility for Mother Earth and those who live and breathe upon her. Never forget that.”

Principal Jose Lara of Gilbert High School has supported the mural since its beginning stages. He knows how important it is for current and future students.  

“I thought it was an awesome idea. I really love raising student voices and I love public art. I love the message behind it, especially in the crazy world that we live in today. It's a perfect time to call for peace and for students to really inspire and be able to express themselves,” Lara said.  

The mural isn’t just a painting. It’s meant to change lives, and Lara wants that for his students. 

“We like to ensure that students can make a difference, and they know that they can make a difference. Given these types of opportunities, it means a world of difference to them. They'll never forget the legacy left behind with this mural,” he said. 

Each color and image has a different meaning. Lara’s favorite part of the mural is the nopales, cactus, because it's a native local plant in the area and is connected to Mother Earth. 

Frese met Tsipi Ben-Haim two years ago online. It wasn’t until a day before the ceremony that they were able to hug each other. 

“It’s amazing because we felt such a beautiful connection,” Ben-Haim said. “We both believe that youth, our youth, are our future, and we have to invest in them. We have to bring our youth to the table. That's most important.” 

There are three pillars that Ben-Haim believes in that will make students shine from this mural. 

“It's education, the hard work they invest in, and the charity they gave from their heart. That will continue to inspire and reflect from the school out to everyone,” Ben-Haim said. 

She’s thankful for educators such as Frese because of her advocacy in letting students know they can make a difference in their communities. 

“The power of art brings people together, especially when you have teachers like Janelle that are so committed and bring their youth together to understand that power that they have in their hands, in their imagination. Then they invest in the imagination,” she continued. 

CITYarts, a nonprofit public arts and education organization founded by Ben-Haim in 1989, has created and produced over 360 projects that have transformed communities and impacted over 100,000 kids, collaborating with more than 600 artists, partnering with over 1,500 sponsors, and engaging over 200,000 volunteers, as said on the CITYarts website. 

CITYarts’ mission statement states the organization is to engage youth with professional artists in the creation of public art, including murals and mosaics. Through this creative process, CITYarts empowers, educates and connects youth and children locally and around the world to become active participants in realizing their potential and transforming communities. 

To see the mural, visit Gilbert High School located at 1800 W. Ball Road, Anaheim, CA 92804.