Located on the brick wall of Marquette’s Varsity theatre, Mauricio Ramirez‘s, “Our Roots Say That We’re Sisters” mural showcases Gadeer Ayesh, Marquette Alumni, and was inspired by the diverse and complex Milwaukee community.
The mural itself, is currently damaged as the paint is coming off the brick in multiple spots across the wall. It will undergo tuckpointing, and then the mural itself will go under construction to restore the vibrant colors. There is no set date as to when this will be done, or when Ramirez will return.
Once the brick behind the mural construction is completed, Ramirez will return to touch up his work.
“Every time I see it in photos or in real life, I get really excited about it. It brings color to campus in a world of dark browns and greens,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez, a Milwaukee–based artist, proposed the mural idea that was selected by a committee, then was ultimately chosen. His mural features four women of various backgrounds, with flowers filling the rest of the wall. Along with the other proposals, Ramirez’s idea was selected to showcase the culture and dynamic of the surrounding communities.
The mural was originally painted back in 2020 to celebrate diversity and inclusivity in the Marquette community. It started with a proposal from Marquette University Student Government to emphasize the beauty of women of color in the community. After more than 1,400 faculty, students and staff voted, “Our Roots” was the winning submission with 63% of the votes.
Back in April, a ceremony was held on Eckstein Common for an intercultural blessing and reflections on the impact of the mural. The Marquette and Milwaukee community gathered to honor the artwork while priests from both communities gave blessings.
“Public art can be a really strong tool for promoting social justice because of the amount of visibility that a wall can bring to communities, like that just in itself,” Ramirez said. “You could print a billboard on it and have a message, but you can paint something and create artwork that just brings the messaging way harder and way more intense.”
Ramirez said his goal as an artist is to just keep creating the best work that he can on a global scale, and work that will hold up in the long run. He specializes in large-scale, site-specific painting all over Milwaukee, and painted a mural for the Milwaukee Brewers.
“It’s not just googled images of women of color, it’s actually real people that deal with this specific community and I think that spending time with them and listening to their stories is my main takeaway from the entire process,” Ramirez said.
This story was written by Trinity Zapotocky. She can be reached at [email protected]
