Community Mural to Celebrate Black Maternal Health

Mural at SisterWeb's 5th Year Birthday Party.

In 2024, SisterWeb turned 5 years old. To celebrate, we hosted a birthday party full of love from of staff, clients, community partners, family members, and friends. We had many activities, among them, a community mural. Guests had the opportunity to collectively paint a piece that represents and embodies SisterWeb. Livier Lopez, a San Francisco based artist, created the artwork outline and added the finishing touches to the mural.

Sofía Carbone, SisterWeb's Communications Manager, spoke with Lavier Lopez to learn more about her artistic process from start to finish.

Sofía: SisterWeb gave you a draft, or sketch, of the artwork we wanted for the mural. What was your process for starting the outline for the mural and how did that evolve?

Children painting the mural at SisterWeb's 5th Year Birthday Party.

Livier Lopez: It was helpful to have the piece of wood painted white onto which the sketch would be drawn. The sketch draft on a piece of paper was helpful, too. I felt like there was a lot of freedom to be creative and make changes while honoring the sketch draft that was provided. It was a fun process for me. The transformation of the mural happened since the beginning. I followed the draft of the pregnant woman sitting in nature, and also added some flowers and a baby.

I didn't think I would actually finalize the mural. I thought I would simply make the sketch for the guests to color in the day of SisterWeb's 5th Year Birthday Party, but to my surprise, I finished the whole mural. This was a fun surprise.

I took dedication and time, and I realized I wanted to make other changes as the mural continued to evolve. And as it evolved, I wanted to do more, and I did within the available time frame. For example, I ended up changing some colors and some of the flowers. I changed the perspective of the roots and the grass circling the placenta.

Through the sketch on the piece of paper, the general idea for the mural was provided, including the elements that needed to be respected. The element added which was my own, was the decision to outline each piece of the mural with black paint so that it would stand out and have an illustrative touch. I also feel like a very unique element I added was the sun and sky with pink tones. Upon taking into account the essence of SisterWeb, I decided to add gold touches throughout.

Sofía: When did you start making murals and what do you like about these projects?

Livier Lopez: I have created pieces like this, but this was the first one of its size. This was a new and enjoyable experience for me, full of gratitude for SisterWeb. There was a lot of growth. We are always learning. I like the experience and the opportunity to have freedom to change and add elements that allow me to express myself in my own way.

Sofía: What elements arose based on what you learned about SisterWeb, the people you met, etc.?

Livier Lopez: The elements that arose were making the mural dedicated to the child of a former SisterWeb client who had passed away. This was something we wanted to stand out. On one of the prettiest flowers of the whole mural, I wrote her name. This dedication to the client's child is the protagonist of the piece.

Sofía: What did you learn about yourself through this process?

Livier Lopez: I learned a lot, but the most valuable was realizing the important and special work that all the women at SisterWeb carry out. It's a marvelous community that uplifts the experiences of Black women.

Sofía: Why do you think it's important to incorporate art in sexual and reproductive health initiatives?

Livier Lopez: A person can interpret art in different ways. The artist can portray a message and the spectator can interpret it in different ways, depending on how one looks at it or the feeling one has towards it in the moment.

In motherhood, there is a lot of hormonal changes and so we are able to find a lot of inspiration in art. These can be hard moments, special moments full of emotion. In terms of reproductive health, you find support and answers that maybe you didn't have before and art brings that to you because you don't have the words or no one can give you answers. The inside of someone is introduced through what you see through an art piece.

Livier Lopez adding finishing touches to the mural.