The Reinstallation of the Lake Apopka Farmworker Memorial Mural

Mural Updates!

    It's been a long time coming! About a year and a half ago, our beautiful community mural had to be removed. While some parts of the mural were unsalvageable, as they were painted directly on the building, the bulk of the work was done on removable wooden panels. With no other place to go, the panels had to be kept outside in the  Billie Dean Community Garden in Apopka. It took quite some time for the team to find a new, permanent home for the art project, but that day has finally come!

 

    With much help from The Big Potato Foundation- an organization that works to cultivate healthy central Florida communities- we were able to get approval from the city of Apopka place the mural outside of the Billie Dean Community Garden! The posts were laid and the panels were all hung on May First! However, there's a lot of work to do and the story of our mural doesn't end here.

    After so much time out in the Florida elements, the mural has really taken a toll. The panels sat outside for several hurricanes, nearly two years of the hot Florida sun, and some flooding. The wood is warped pretty severely, and the term "touch-up" doesn't even begin to describe what the paint job needs. we're currently doing our best to plan for the refurbishment of the mural. We're very confident that we can restore it! We're going to finish this the way we started it: with and for the community of Apopka.

    We have a plan! We're going to wait a few weeks to begin any work, because we'd like to give the mural a chance to dry out as much as possible. In the mean time, we're working to re-organize the community to help us! First, we're going to take the best photos we can because next we will have to gently wash the mural- we're expecting to lose some paint, which is why we're taking photos first. After that, we'll prime the spots that need it before we start re-painting! After painting the fun bits, we'll have to paint a coat of sealant to protect the panels the best we can. that's the bulk of it!

    The second half of this plan is to restore the parts of the mural that were originally painted directly on the original building. We're missing most on one tree, and the sun. We plan to add more panels for these! However, the additions are not being prioritized right now, as we must work to save the mural we have before we can expand.

We're so excited to have this update for you! Be sure to follow along to watch the progress we'll make!

by Finn Spencer