This painting is part of a partnership between The San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild and barrioartists.org.

For “A Day in the Life on Imperial Avenue”, I placed the ancient deity Quetzalcoatl in a local tortilla shop. On his left arm, he bears a Sankofa tattoo. The Sankofa is a symbol from the Akan people of Ghana. It literally means,“Go back and get it,” with the aim of reaching back in history to understand and move forward. In our present moment, we can hope to learn from our past mistakes and move forward to a better space in our community.

Quetzalcoatl is associated with knowledge, arts, crafts, books, and the planet Venus. He is also associated with maize and teaching humanity.

Here, he is a visitor and a protector on Imperial Avenue, showing us room for growth and creativity to thrive.

Leslie Pierce is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is included in the permanent collection of the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin and has been awarded multiple Special Projects grants in Austin and San Diego to expand her work. She serves on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Museum of Art Artist Guild and is Co-Chair of the Exhibitions Committee.

More info: www.andsomethingdifferent.com

Social: @artistlesliepierce