Finding the Light: Our Quarantine Experience

Innovations Community Center (ICC) Lobby, Napa, CA

Commissioned by On the Move Bay Area

Collaborative process mural created with ICC, a non-profit that supports adults with mental health challenges. We used natural imagery to represent and process their collective experience during the COVID lockdown.

Design Statement

While each participant had a unique experience since the lockdowns in March 2020, there were many shared feelings: fear, worry, loneliness, confusion, and frustration with the overwhelming list of unknowns. Many participants mentioned feeling ‘in the dark’ but now that we have the vaccine and things are opening up we are ‘coming into the light’.

 The beautiful garden at ICC inspired Kristina’s overall concept of using plants and seeds as symbols to represent the idea of ‘begin alone together’. Each seed is on its own, but all the seeds are in the earth together. The seeds grow towards the light and away from the scary darkness on the left side of the mural. Some seeds are jumbled together, as some people were quarantined day after day with their families. Other seeds are shown separately, as many people experienced long periods of social isolation. Sadly, some seeds never made it to the light, as we lost people along the way. Some found each other and some stayed on their own.

 The left side of the mural represents the beginning of the pandemic and time during the lockdown: A gray, rainy sky looms over the dark earth full of monsters, including many red stars symbolizing the familiar image of the COVID molecule. Because many people mentioned pets and friends helping them through the worst of this period, we added some friendly fish, worms and other garden critters.

 Moving to the right, the mural begins to brighten and grow more colorful to represent the period of transition as quarantine lifted and we began to receive more information. The seeds reach the surface and grow into flowering plants.

 To represent the continued, steady presence of ICC during the pandemic, we added a river of water that runs underground the entire length of the mural. This water symbolically feeds the seeds and supports their healthy growth.

 Participants also wanted to include many specific flora and fauna species that are important to them and ICC, including: ladybugs, a praying mantis, blue jays, humming birds, pink geraniums, hollyhocks and lavender as well as a Napa Valley hot air balloon passing in the sky.

Below, images from the group brainstorming session and discussion

Creative Process In April 2021, Leslie Medine led a group discussion at ICC with participants and staff about their individual experiences living through the COVID-19 pandemic. She focused the group on their feelings and coping mechanisms they relied on during lock down in contrast with how they feel like now as things begin to open back up. She asked them to write and draw to help them express their feelings visually. Then Kristina synthesized their ideas and images into a design that symbolized their experience as a group.

Participating Artists Rachel, Adriana , Tony, James , Peter G., Peter D, Elaine, Shauna , Peggy, Roberta, Eva, Barbara, Lisa, Juan, Jennifer, Armando, John, and Angelica