ArtsQuest kicked off National Hispanic Heritage Month early with the unveiling of Symone Salib’s mural inspired by the Latinx history archive project, “Voces De la Comunidad: The Latinx Experience in Bethlehem, PA.” The reveal took place at the Banana Factory’s monthly First Friday event, ahead of National Hispanic Heritage month official start date on Sept. 15.

Symone Salib, a Philadelphia-based muralist, street artist and educator, said the mural was inspired by experiences shared from Latinx community members spanning generations. The history archive project, led by City of Bethlehem Director of Equity and Inclusion Janine Carambot Santoro, was funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum & Library Services and facilitated in partnership with Lafayette College and the Bethlehem Area Public Library.

“ArtsQuest is honored to partner with Lafayette College and the Bethlehem Area Public Library on this visual representation of their collaborative oral history project, Voces de la Comunidad,” ArtsQuest’s Senior Director of Visual Arts and Education Lisa Harms said. “Storytelling is a powerful way to communicate history, culture and traditions. Janine Santoro’s vision for this project paved the way for this project’s culmination through the visual arts. We are thrilled that muralist Symone Salib was able to take the stories of our Bethlehem community members and translate them into an impactful visual representation that will be on view at The Banana Factory and eventually the Bethlehem Area Public Library.”

“This mural is an honoring of these leaders and a celebration of the power of storytelling as a means to rejoice, lament, and organize,” Santoro said, “We are grateful for her gifts, which further the mission of centering traditionally minoritized voices and by giving us visibility at one of Bethlehem’s most equitable spaces for creating art.”

“Voces De la Comunidad: The Latinx Experience in Bethlehem, PA” is an archive project consisting of history collected over the course of 2020 through virtual interviews with numerous community leaders. The first Latino mayor in Pennsylvania, Jose Rosado; the first Latina judge in the state, District Justice Nancy Matos Gonzalez; BASD Advocate and Educational Consultant Iris Cintron; and former Bethlehem Councilwoman Olga Negrón shared stories of accomplishment, migration experiences, racism, restorative justice and advocacy in housing, business, politics and education.

“The project was created as a way for us to capture the stories of some of our local prominent Puerto Rican leaders who could illuminate the Latinx/Hispanic community’s struggles and accomplishments,” Santoro said. “Our hope for the archive is that it not only gives a nod to our history by saying, ‘This is what we’ve been through,’ but also in the same breath says that ‘There is still more work to be done.’”

For more details on the Archive project and stories visit Lehigh Valley Engaged Humanities Consortium website. For a list of Banana Factory happenings visit bananafactory.org.

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