Purple Unity Project at OCEAA

Purple Unity Project at OCEAA

Brian Peterson and Damin Lujan, 2020

In downtown Santa Ana on Broadway Street, a new mural featuring figures of peace, justice and intellectual curiosity is having an impact on a public charter school and its surrounding community.

The “Purple Unity Project,” painted on the side of the 16-year-old Orange County Educational Arts Academy (OCEAA), features the faces of Rosa Parks, Malala Yousafzai, Albert Einstein, Frida Kahlo, Martin Luther King Jr., and Cesar Chavez. Each figure is accompanied by a quote a in Spanish. For instance, next to Martin Luther King Jr.’s calm countenance are the words, “Love will have the final word!” and “colaboracion” or “collaboration.”

The 7,500-square-foot mural is painted with blue and red on the edges, which evolve into purple in the middle. Two hands form a heart at the purple center, and the words “Unity through the bond of Peace” hover above the hands.

“Purple represents unity,” said Mike Limon, executive director of OCEAA. “The country is divided — red for the Republicans, blue for the Democratic party. But you mix those two colors and you get purple.”

The mural was created and designed by Brian Peterson, known for his “Faces of Santa Ana” project, and local Santa Ana artist Damin Lujan. Ruth Prentice of Superior Property Services and Acrylatex supported the project. She also committed $5,000 in additional support toward OCEAA.

Back in November, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held, after the artists Peterson and Lujan — along with a handful of OCEAA students — took seven days to design and paint the mural.