The AltaMed Art Collection recently unveiled its fourth mural in collaboration with AltaMed’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), marking four years of bringing art, culture, and wellness together to enrich the lives of PACE participants, staff, and the surrounding community.
Launched four years ago, the initiative brings artists and community members together to create murals that reflect the people, neighborhoods, and cultures surrounding each PACE center. Artists spend time getting to know the communities, drawing inspiration from their stories, experiences, and surroundings to create works that foster connection, celebrate local identity, and create a sense of belonging.
The newest mural, The Fence, was created by artist Sonia Romero for AltaMed PACE Pomona. Inspired by the stories and experiences of PACE participants and the character of the surrounding neighborhood, the mural celebrates the everyday beauty of Pomona and the small details that make a place feel like home.
“I wanted to create a work about Pomona which explores the quiet, personal neighborhood moments of home,” said Romero. “Walking down the street, you see the evidence of people's creativity, work, and homemaking. The San Gabriel Mountains set the scene, and the garden statues, planters, mailboxes, and plants embody the culture of this place. I see the fence, which takes up much of the space of the painting, as a backdrop for the sidewalk activities such as this dog walking or as a protective boundary of the home inside.”
From my own experience in doctor's waiting rooms and examinations, I have spent a lot of time staring at pictures on the walls therefore I wanted to create a picture that was full of life and things to explore with the eyes.
Romero is a Los Angeles-based artist who has designed over a dozen permanent large-scale works across the West Coast, including murals at the Mariachi Plaza and Westlake MacArthur Metro Stations.
More than a visual addition to the center, The Fence reflects AltaMed's belief that art can play an important role in creating environments where patients and participants feel seen, valued, and connected to their communities.
“It's really important for us to create spaces of belonging at AltaMed because this means that our patients, our participants, everyone feels welcome,” said Chief Curator and Associate Vice President of Arts and Wellness at AltaMed Health Services Susana Smith Bautista, Ph.D. “We want them to feel safe. We want them to feel that they can trust AltaMed. That this is a space for them.”
With four murals completed in four years, the PACE Mural Project continues to demonstrate how art can transform health care spaces into places that celebrate the people and communities AltaMed serves.
ABOUT SONIA ROMERO
Sonia Romero (b. 1980) is a Los Angeles-based artist whose work blends fine art and public art, drawing from and documenting the cultural symbols and narratives of her city. Known for her distinctive papercut and printmaking techniques, Romero’s creations span paintings, prints, sculptures, and large-scale public works, where materials, process, and symbolism come together to record and create culture.
Romero’s work is held in prominent collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and the Cheech Marin Museum of Chicano Art and Culture. As a public artist, she has designed 13+ permanent large-scale works across the West Coast, including murals at the Mariachi Plaza and Westlake MacArthur Metro Stations.
Drawing inspiration from vintage graphic aesthetics and the rich traditions of Chicano art, Romero received formal training at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and the Rhode Island School of Design. She currently maintains a full-time studio in Echo Park, Los Angeles.
