Artist Marisol D’Estrabeau spent two weeks doing community engagement sessions with Bayview Townhomes residents before she started painting the mural that would adorn one of the apartment buildings at 113 La Mariposa Lane.
D’Estrabeau, who is based in Cancún, Mexico, said one young resident named Richard drew a picture of a child embracing the Earth. So at the middle of the mural, she drew a child (based on a picture of Richard) standing in front of the Earth.
“He was embracing the world,” she said, “and (now), the universe is embracing him.”
The mural faces West Washington Avenue and Brittingham Park on Madison’s south side. Bayview will host a dedication ceremony on Wednesday, May 14, from 4-5 p.m., where D’Estrabeau will discuss the process of designing the mural in collaboration with residents.
Richard’s idea is one of many elements D’Estrabeau incorporated from over 100 people who contributed ideas for the final piece, called “Memory and Future.” The three-story mural uses vibrant colors and elements of nature and water to depict the diversity of people living at Bayview.
D’Estrabeau said the goal of the mural was to “integrate water, movement … community, people of diversity and different nationalities and languages” into one piece.
Sam Nesovanovic-Levy, Bayview’s youth advocacy and support coordinator and interim arts coordinator, said that the mural is part of Bayview’s continued dedication to fostering community-focused art.
“It’s always been integral to the (Bayview) community to have art lessons and opportunities for making and engaging with art,” Nesovanovic-Levy said. “Being surrounded by really intentional art that’s been made with a lot of love — people feel that.”
New mural honors Bayview’s past, connects to nature
D’Estrabeau’s work is the second mural commissioned by Bayview since its redevelopment. The first, called “Hope Finds a Home,” is located at 720 W. Washington Ave. at the corner of West Washington Avenue and Regent Street. It was completed in 2023 by Madison artists Amy Zaremba, Sharon Tang and Alicia Rheal.
Like D’Estrabeau’s piece, residents participated in the mural by painting on fabric that the artists would later glue onto the building.
Nesovanovic-Levy said the Bayview Foundation got over 60 applications to make this mural.
D’Estrabeau “had a great perspective on community arts,” Nesovanovic-Levy said. “A lot of her values line up with Bayview’s — lots of collaboration, lots of connection with the natural world … as soon as she arrived, we knew we made the right choice.”
The Bayview Townhouses are run by the Bayview Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides affordable housing to Madison residents. Nesovanovic-Levy said D’Estrabeau aimed to reflect the ethnic diversity of the community’s residents and the history of the land Bayview occupies.
“We wanted (the mural) to be a conversation between the neighborhood and the history of Bayview land and the water that’s over there,” said Nesovanovic-Levy, pointing over to Brittingham Bay.
“That’s so central to life for everyone. We’re excited about all of these natural elements in there.”
This colorful mural ‘belongs to all of you’
D’Estrabeau’s work is colorful and whimsical yet deeply reverential. She incorporated animals like a wolf and an eagle because they are “sacred animals of the Ho-Chunk nation,” she said, the land’s original inhabitants.
The bright yellow eagle’s wings envelop the world (and Richard) as if it were “a guardian” and a symbol of protection.
In the middle toward the bottom of the mural, D’Estrabeau drew a figure with elements of a caterpillar. Above it is a butterfly, both with smiling faces.
“It’s a child … connected with the spirit of the butterfly,” she said. She wanted the images to convey to residents not to “forget the child inside … because your roots are connected with your ancestors.”
She also incorporated colors representing the flags of the countries from which Bayview’s inhabitants are from. One young resident’s family is from Côte d’Ivoire, in West Africa.
“When I showed her the final design, she saw that and was like, ‘Oh, they included the flag!’” D’Estrabeau said. “‘I made sure to talk about the flag, and she included it!’”
Two more murals are planned for Bayview this year: one for the community garden shed, and another inside the organization’s community center. Another art project is ongoing, focused on wood sculpture by local artist Gene Delcourt.
“He’s carving natural replications of native animals. Those will be all throughout campus so that kids can look and find them,” Nesovanovic-Levy said.
The spirit of collaboration also carries through in how D’Estrabeau views the mural once she’s done.
“After I finish this mural, it will not belong to me — it belongs to all of you,” she said. “I want people to know it’s theirs. It’s a piece of art, and it’s for everyone.”
– Ashley Rodriguez
New Bayview mural in Madison celebrates nature and diversity | Arts & Culture | captimes.com