Hundreds of Corrales schoolkids are getting their hands dirty this fall, molding clay into images that will one day form part of an 18-foot mosaic mural overlooking La Entrada Park. The project, led by the Corrales Arts Center, is pulling in students, volunteer artists, local experts and area businesses to build a three-panel public artwork telling the story of Corrales itself.
The mural will depict the village's past, present and ideal future across its three panels, according to nm.news, which reported that it will be installed near the playground at La Entrada Park. Students in grades four through eight from Cottonwood Montessori School, Corrales K-8, Sandia Vista Christian Academy and Corrales Homeschoolers are the ones creating the clay images that will anchor each section, the outlet reported.
Clay From Kids, Glass From Grown-Ups
The division of labor is deliberate. Twelve experts have volunteered to share their knowledge with more than 200 students, per the same report, and volunteer artists are helping those students turn classroom drawings into clay pieces once the lessons sink in. Adults and artists, meanwhile, are handling the mosaic's glass background — a split that the Rio Rancho Observer described earlier this year as intentional, with organizers wanting children to build the clay objects while adults and artists complete the glass work around them.
Other volunteers have already signed up to cut and incorporate glass pieces into the three panels, the nm.news report notes. The finished piece will combine clay and glass and span roughly 80 square feet, per the same account, and the village's reported budget for materials and tools alone came to $8,408 — work the outlet described as entirely volunteer- and child-driven.
Lessons Beyond the Clay Table
The project isn't just an art class. Volunteers are also expected to visit schools to teach local history, animal husbandry and Bosque preservation, according to Citizen Portal. Those lessons feed directly into what students draw and eventually sculpt, tying the mural's imagery to actual coursework rather than abstract design choices.
Stores, schools and local businesses have chipped in supplies, space and funds to keep the project moving, nm.news reported. The Corrales Arts Center, which is spearheading the effort, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, according to corralesartscenter.org, which states that its mission is to unite the diverse community through creative experiences. The organization says donations to fund the mural are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law and that donors receive no goods or services in exchange for their contributions.
A 2027 Unveiling and a Village Celebration
Organizers are aiming for a mid-2027 completion, a timeline the Rio Rancho Observer reported back in April. The mural will be unveiled on Celebrate Corrales Day, Saturday, May 22, 2027, at La Entrada Park, nm.news reported, with that day also set to feature games, traditional foods and Corrales-themed performances. Sandy Rasmussen is listed as the contact for residents who want to take part in Celebrate Corrales Day, while Maggie Robinson is named as the contact for anyone looking to help with the mural itself, both per the nm.news article.
Charlene Spiegel serves as president of the Corrales Arts Center, which has steadily built out its community arts programming over the years with salons, art education for adults and kids, and house concerts, according to the center's own website. The mural adds a far more visible, permanent piece to that portfolio — one meant to be built by the people of Corrales rather than for them.
Comparable projects elsewhere in New Mexico suggest the approach resonates beyond Corrales. Silver City's Youth Mural Program has used public art to engage young people and strengthen community ties, according to a Southwest Word Fiesta account, while a mural unveiled at the Bernalillo Community Museum & Garden was described by its director as intended to recognize local history, per an nm.news report from earlier this year. Corrales now joins that list, with a mural that won't just hang on a wall but will carry the fingerprints — and clay handiwork — of hundreds of its youngest residents.
