My name is Mario, and I am a professional Public Artist. I have lived in Longmont for close to 30 years. My family and I love our town!
I have several pieces of public Art in Longmont, but my favorite is most likely the one I just completed after many long and happy summer days and nights of painting.
Jennifer Peterson and I had a shared intention. Jennifer is the visionary developer behind "Casa Lou" on the corner of 9th and Main, a dynamic, elegant work and live space in the heart of Longmont.
We both recognized an urgent need to shine a light on the heritage and achievements of Boulder County Hispanics.
Eloyeda "Lou" Cardenas is mainly unknown in Longmont and within its sizeable Hispanic population. Our collective goal is to make this strong, hardworking, impactful woman a household name in Boulder County.
Her decades of consistent advocacy and devoted service to marginalized populations in our community is humbling. I have always felt that older women and their achievements require more public acknowledgment. The mural is one offering to help improve this ratio.
Lou founded the Senior Center in Longmont. She recognized the need for seniors to gather/organize and persuaded a local business owner to provide a space to serve this purpose. It was popular, and the group grew, eventually transitioning into what we now know and love as the Longmont Senior Center.
This was the tip of the iceberg for Lou. She organized transportation for seniors before any existed in town. Ditto for meal services. She also was a consistent presence at City Council meetings and advocated for non-English speakers and the marginalized. She also recruited and organized senior volunteers, was an active organizer with the Democratic Party, and so much more. Her kids (now in their late 80's) are amazing themselves. They told me that their Mom worked so hard her entire younger life (in the fields, etc.) that she couldn't sit still in her later years.
Web Editor's Note: You can see more of Mario's work on his Instagram page: @io_mario_io
