Wagner and Logan Luckey worked with approximately 35 volunteers to turn a longtime community vision into reality through a collaborative mural at the Mesa Community Center
For years, residents of Mesa, Colorado, had envisioned adding a mural to the side of their community center. With the help of a Colorado Mesa University (CMU) art professor and approximately 35 community volunteers, that vision finally came to fruition.
CMU Assistant Professor of Art and Design Crystal Wagner collaborated with her husband, artist and designer Logan Luckey, to create a large-scale mural celebrating the community's identity, natural surroundings and Colorado's 150th anniversary of statehood.
The mural is located along Colorado Highway 65 and features a bald eagle, columbine flowers and the Grand Mesa. Its completion marks a milestone for a community that had hoped to transform the building's exterior for years.
Wagner and Luckey recently moved to Mesa, Colorado and got involved in the project after community members learned about their artistic backgrounds and approached them with the idea.
Rather than designing the mural independently, Wagner wanted residents to have a say in what it would represent. Community members participated in a public poll to identify the elements they wanted incorporated into the artwork and voted on its layout. Wagner then brought those ideas together through her own artistic interpretation, incorporating Art Nouveau influences and a vibrant color palette.
The project is also part of an ongoing creative partnership between Wagner and Luckey, who work together through Mesa Signs and Designs, a collaborative practice focused on community art projects, design and supporting local businesses. Luckey managed much of the on-site work, while Wagner developed the original drawings and completed the mural's finishing details.
The collaboration extended well beyond the design process. Over several days in late July and early August, approximately 35 volunteers gathered at the community center to help paint the mural. Wagner and Luckey projected the design onto the building, where a community member helped trace the outlines before volunteers filled in sections with color.
The process allowed community members of all ages and artistic abilities to participate, including residents with no previous painting experience. Wagner and Luckey organized the painting process much like a paint-by-number project, making it possible for anyone to contribute to the finished artwork.
Despite summer temperatures reaching approximately 103 degrees on some painting days, volunteers continued showing up to contribute. Wagner recalled the heat becoming so intense that paintbrushes were even sticking to the wall at one point.
Among the volunteers were CMU students and members of the FLARE Art Club, which Wagner advises. Students Jaden Ulrich and Alayna Lawson participated consistently throughout the project, with Ulrich volunteering four consecutive days. For Wagner, involving students in projects outside the classroom is an important part of helping them grow as artists.
"One of the things that I want to bring to students is access to professional experiences that broaden their exposure," Wagner said.
Although Wagner is best known for her large-scale installations and abstract artwork, she sees the same underlying purpose in both her professional practice and community-based projects. Whether she's working with fabric, sculpture or paint, her work frequently creates opportunities for people to connect through shared artistic experiences.
"When you're working on art with a community, you're putting down your phone, and you're getting to know people," Wagner said.
For Wagner and Luckey, who are relatively new to the Mesa, Colorado community, the project also provided an opportunity to meet their neighbors and learn about the experiences that brought them to the area.
Some residents had lived there for generations, while others were drawn to the region's natural beauty. Despite their different backgrounds, Wagner discovered that they all had a shared appreciation for the place they call home. Those experiences reinforced a lesson she hopes to share with her students at CMU.
"To make really big, otherworldly things happen, it takes a village," Wagner said.
Wagner hopes to continue creating opportunities for students to collaborate across artistic disciplines. She is currently exploring a potential large-scale installation on campus that could involve students and faculty in music, dance and environmental science.
Residents of Mesa, Colorado, have embraced the finished artwork, and Wagner said the community has acquired the rights to reproduce its design on merchandise to support fundraising efforts for the community center.
"Communities are capable of amazing things together, and that's what that mural is a representation of," Wagner said. "It's something that everyone wanted, but it took all of us coming together to make it happen."
To learn more about Wagner's artwork, visit crystalwagner.com.
