El Centro Unveils Plan for Spectacular Mural to Wrap Around Building

September 23, 2026 - 01:01 PM

Words & Photos: Robert Bledsoe

By the time the 2027-28 school year begins, the section of campus by the Student Center and Building 26 will look more vibrant, as a three-sided wraparound mural is planned for the El Centro building (16F).

The artwork will tell the history of natives and Latinidad across the decades and centuries in Southern California.

“We wanted to do this right,” said Giovanni Rodriguez, Director of El Centro - The Center for Latinidad. “We looked for an artist with the experience, professionalism, and especially the vision to get community input to tell the tale of our culture.”

Prominent mural artist Sergio Robleto designed and will oversee the painting of the building. He has painted over 100 murals, mostly throughout the Los Angeles region. El Centro’s artwork, however, will be his first-ever building wraparound.

“I’ve done large murals before, but never one that has completely wrapped around a building. Our culture is all about covering things, so this was a natural,” said Robleto. “For me, this piece is about the spirit of resilience.”

The mural takes the viewer from the original native people (Gabrielino-Shoshone, Gabrielino-Tongva, and Gabrielino-Kizh nations) through European settlement and displacement and on through the Civil Rights and Labor Movement era. The story told by the mural ends with students graduating from college.

This visual story came from one of his discussions with a student, Robleto said. “He told me, ‘I want to be reminded why I am even here at Mt. SAC.’ ”

“The Chicano Arts Movement of the 1970s brought murals across the nation, so I thought a mural for El Centro was essential,” said Rodriguez, who explains this exterior art was always planned during the construction process. He indicated that funding for the mural came from the Associated Students of Mt. SAC.

The event was hosted alongside El Centro’s Open House and Latinx Heritage Month, which featured authentic Central and South American snacks. Students and staff who attended gave input on the design; Rodriguez said that input was quite valuable, and some changes are already planned for the design.

Rodriguez estimates the painting of the mural should be concluded before the end of the current academic year.

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