American River College expands public art with new mural near the Learning Resource Center

A new mural at American River College is bringing color and symbolism to campus while reflecting themes of ambition and belonging. The artwork is painted on a wall near the Learning Resource Center, adding a large-scale visual piece to a central area of campus.

The artwork, created by muralist Franceska Gamez, features a hand releasing a paper airplane surrounded by elements such as wings, fire, water and butterflies. Gamez said the imagery represents dreams and transformation. 

“The paper airplane sort of symbolizes our dreams and aspirations,” Gamez said. “Everything that trails behind it is sort of the momentum that goes into our dreams and aspirations. So it’s ambition, passion, fire.”

Gamez said the design also includes butterfly imagery inspired by ideas of growth and migration. As an immigrant from the Philippines, she said monarch butterflies in particular represent movement across borders and personal transformation.

“I think that butterflies are a really beautiful symbol,” Gamez said. “Monarchs travel thousands of miles across borders, across countries to migrate.”

Gamez has been painting murals for about 12 years and said she first began pursuing art seriously in childhood, eventually studying studio art in college after initially studying business. She said her career was influenced by other working artists she met in Sacramento, including her husband, muralist Shaun Burner.

The ARC project began taking shape after Gamez was invited to participate in a campus exhibition, according to Patricia Wood, gallery director at ARC’s Kaneko Gallery. Wood said in the email the idea for a mural developed during the 2024 “Agimat” exhibition organized by Gamez, where she first discussed the possibility of bringing her work to campus if funding could be secured.

Wood said she later applied for an ARC Innovation Grant in late 2024 to fund the project, which was awarded in 2025. After scheduling delays and planning, the mural project moved forward following approval from the Permanent Art Collection Committee. 

Gamez said she was given creative direction centered on themes of diversity and inclusion.

“They were like, ‘We want to celebrate diversity. We want to also highlight the idea that everybody belongs here,’” Gamez said.

The phrase “You belong here” is incorporated into the mural design, reflecting a broader campus message.

Gamez said she was given two design options and ultimately developed the final version with minimal revisions.

“There weren’t really too many rounds of revisions,” she said. “They kind of gave me full trust, which was really awesome.”

She said the process of creating a mural begins with a sketch that is scaled to the wall using either projection or a grid method. For this project, she used a grid system and digital tools to map her design onto the surface.

Gamez said she typically begins with base layers of latex paint before adding detail with spray paint and often adjusts elements during the painting process.

“The sketch is just sort of the loose composition,” Gamez said. “I’ll tweak it based on what I’m feeling.”

When asked what she hopes students take away from the artwork, Gamez said she wants them to feel encouraged in their goals.

“I want them to feel limitless,” Gamez said. “I want them to feel like they’re not alone in their dreams and what they’re pursuing.”