'Beacon of Community': New Mural at Rainier Valley Food Bank Captures Life in the South End

What do you love about this community? What are your hopes and dreams for it?

Those are some of the questions Seattle artists Scott Mexcal and Natalia Sotelo asked while brainstorming ideas for a new mural at the recently reopened Rainier Valley Food Bank (RVFB). 

The two artists, who worked with a team of nine Mexican painters, completed a vibrant mosaic titled "Cocina de Abuela," or "Grandma's Kitchen," with each tile highlighting the South End's community, history, and future. The concept of the kitchen is one that can be universally recognized by the many ethnic communities the food bank serves, Mexcal said.

"Food is a medium — it's a love language, it's a party, it's a celebration," Mexcal said. "It's the way we honor our dead. It's the way we honor new family members. It all happens through food."

Mexcal and Sotelo were selected by a panel after rounds of interviews with several other artists. For RVFB Outreach Coordinator Viridiana Ortiz, her heart was set on the duo. 

"We wanted to be a beacon for communities that may not feel welcomed in other spaces," Ortiz said. "Natalia and Scott have done a really great job of putting that [concept] onto something that's visual for our clients and our community. I just feel like they really understand."

The two artists began brainstorming by scouting out the area and observing the people, buildings, and cultures on Rainier Avenue, Sotelo said. To capture the images around her, Sotelo brought herself back to the tiles in her grandmother's kitchen. 

"Tiles are a great way to represent communities," said Sotelo. "There are so many different patterns and ways to represent different places in the world."

Each mosaic tile represents a different image from the South End. One tile holds the image of a food bank volunteer who often plays the flute for people waiting in line. Others feature children playing double dutch in front of the building, or a man walking with a boombox radio, representing a late volunteer who always played music while he worked.

"A lot of people come into the food bank and they never leave," Ortiz said. "Everybody has a space here, and it can be for as long or short of a time that they want."

The cohort plans to put the finishing touches on the mural by Dec. 1. Sotelo expressed the importance of public art at a time of political tension. 

"Having the opportunity to create on such a large canvas and at such a crucial point in South Seattle is really, really significant," Sotelo said. "It's really important for others to see and to realize that we're resisting, we're resilient."