Bradlee is getting a mini makeover this month, courtesy of Alexandria artists. Seniors in the ACHS arts program and professional artists Nicole Bourgea and Roberto “Sef” Seminario have teamed up to create a new mural at the shopping center. The goal of the mural is to spread a message of compassion and tolerance.
“This was a collaboration between Sef, the school community, and myself,” said Bourgea. “We were talking about the themes of community, peace and integration into public spaces.”
Bourgea is a local artist from DC. She has been painting murals for 3 years and drawing all her life.
“I wanted to give the gift of art to people who aren’t in a position to commission a work of art,” said Bourgea.
The mural shows lots of different artistic visions coming together. Each artist involved in the project created Individual drawings that were all combined to become the final project.
“Everyone on the mural contributed their own sketch, and we combined them all together in a way that looks seamless,” said senior Ava-Grace Pache.
With leadership from Bourgea and Sef, students were taught new spray painting and painting techniques.
“I enjoy [working with] highschool kids,” said Sef. “It’s good. Yesterday, [it was their] first time with the spray can. They’re very talented.”
Sef has been painting for 22 years and specializes as a realistic spray paint artist. He originally started with general graffiti. Now, he has painted in 24 countries around the world.
“My favorite part is the bricks. Normally, we paint [on] more flat walls. The brick walls are difficult,” said Sef.
Most of all, the mural talks about peace in the community.
“[The mural] is called Blueprint for Peace. We’re trying to have a more peaceful relationship with the community… and show that we don’t want this community to be bad,” said Pache.
It is no secret that students at the Bradlee have gained an infamous reputation in recent years. The mural hopes to give back to the neighborhood and repair broken ties.
“We’re trying to inspire people to be conscious and humane towards other people, on both sides,” said senior Kalina Kaufmann. “We want to remind people that these are people, these aren’t just mean shop owners, and these aren’t just unruly kids.”
While the mural’s message is universal, it’s also very specific to the local community. Bradlee has been through a lot. But the artists want to show that Alexandria bounces back and can create beauty somewhere unexpected.
