Lucinda Hinojos is the first indigenous artist chosen by the NFL to paint a Super Bowl mural

• Lucinda Hinojos chosen to paint the Super Bowl mural.
• The Native American-Mexican artist was chosen by the NFL.
• They recognize her career and new work.

Mexican and Native American artist Lucinda Hinojos, «La Morena,» was chosen to design the art for the 2023 Super Bowl, including the tickets and a huge mural in Phoenix, Arizona. She tells EFE that she felt as if she were going to play in the Super Bowl when they called her.

Lucinda Hinojos, her given name, is honored to be «the first Chicana and aboriginal woman» to design these works for the biggest sporting event in the US which happens on February 12 when the Philadelphia Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I COULD NOT HOLD BACK THE TEARS”

“When they told me that I was selected, I couldn’t believe it. It was emotional for me, many feelings at the same time. I couldn’t hold back the tears, I felt like I had been selected to play with an NFL team,» recalled the 42-year-old Mexican-American. The artist is working against the clock to finish «the largest mural ever made for a Super Bowl» in downtown Phoenix.

Born and raised in Phoenix, Hinojos embodies the spirit and history of that city, said the NFL, which highlighted «her identity and unmatched experience in designing complex and iconic art of the NFL will be proudly display throughout Super Bowl LVII.»

A GREAT HONOR

The selection of Lucinda Hinojos to paint this 9,500 square foot (882 square meter) mural is a great honor for a woman who has had to overcome depression and domestic violence. The work, an adaptation of the ticket image, pays tribute to aboriginal peoples with various allusions such as an Aztec dancer, and to nature, with the mountains and cacti of the Arizona desert.

The mural includes the Vince Lombardi trophy (a football on a pedestal that is delivered to the champion), which also reflects the White Tank Mountains, which can be seen from the Arizona Cardinals stadium. For «La Morena» it was extremely important that the image had symbols that represent both cultures.

PAINTING AS THERAPY

“This mural is a message that the Latino-indigenous community is present in Arizona, in this country,” Hinojos said during an interview on the roof of the building where she is painting the mural. She said that art came into her life in 2011 when she began painting as “therapeutic” relief from the emotional problems she faced as a single mother of three, and as an alternative to medication.

“I don’t paint for fame or money. I do it because it helps me. It helps me connect with my ancestors and I want people to have that same feeling when they see my murals, that they receive the same medicine,” said Hinojos. In a great coincidence, the wall where she is currently painting the mural for the NFL along with other native artists is the same one for which she was hired in 2015 to do her first mural.

WHAT HAS LUCINDA HINOJOS BEEN THROUGH?

Due to lack of budget and other problems related to discrimination in times of anti-immigrant sentiment, that project was canceled and only the image of two hummingbirds remained. They are now part of the Super Bowl mural. It seems they were waiting for her

The artist says she is convinced the mural was canceled because of the immigration controversy. She said that her path has not been easy, but that she has managed to overcome everything thanks to her children, whom she describes as the «fire of her life.» She recalled her first big project in 2017 in Rochester, New York, where she painted a mural for the “wall/therapy” Festival that quickly went viral. In 2018 she launched “Colors of La Comunidad,” an incubator for “artivism,” where artists can showcase their activism through art.

LUCINDA HINOJOS’ CAREER

Since then she has worked on other murals in Arizona, including one dedicated to the movement of young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers. “There is a lot of pain among communities of color. Art is a way to heal this pain and connect with my ancestors,” she said.

She stressed that people of color always have to work harder and overcome more obstacles, «sometimes up to three times as much». However, she is convinced that, one way or another, «they can be overcome». “The NFL is a great platform. I believe that it can help us to make social and cultural changes.”