History

“My artistic journey showcases a diverse portfolio that includes mystical colorism, expressive mark-making, mosaic works, mixed media works and more. I'm excited to share my unique approach to art, blending figures and feelings with energy and color, which has allowed me to contribute to an enrichment of shared spaces. I've always felt that the place was an important part of the culture of the neighborhood.”

A favorite subject of longtime owner and then unofficial female mayor of Segundo Barrio, Doña Yolanda Black-Navarro, “butterflies serve a purpose besides being beautiful, they act as shepherds to those passing onto the afterlife”. In the mural the Original Villa Arcos serves only “flour” tortillas. The masa is like the mortar to its community, tacos build bridges and unite cultures. The new mural continues a theme of mariposas and tacos de harina. The idea took shape in the earlier fence portion created in 2017 at the taqueria by Quesada.

In the mural, butterflies are depicted from the top left, Doña VELIA Rodriguez Duran, mother to Yolanda Black Navarro who is pictured to the right of her atop her set of wings. Continuing clockwise at the top, her son Christian Navarro is aloft as another cherubic figure fluttering above the arc of a flour tortilla.

To the right of him we see the “Los Compadres” baseball team, based loosely of family members and friends. They would gather every Sunday and enjoy refreshments after games. Villa Arcos was a family spot then as it is now. Many of the regulars share their experiences and the place has meant so much for so many over the years. It is an oasis. Jacob as did his primo Christian did when he originally approached artist Angel Quesada, an artist of many important murals in the neighborhood. They understood the value art and culture have in preserving community traditions and wanted an art mural that grasped the role Villa Arcos serves in uniting families and friends as “compadres” and neighbors.