Weaving All Ways is a glass mosaic mural that I designed for the facade wall of the
La Puente Enhanced One-Stop Center in Downtown La Puente, CA.
This project was commissioned by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture and completed in 2024.
Weaving All Ways celebrates the native plants and Indigenous basket weaving traditions of the surrounding area. It honors the heritage of La Puente while uplifting stewardship of the land, the diversity of past and present communities, and the essential values of environmental sustainability. The plants featured in the mosaic include live oak, tule, toyon, black walnut, golden poppy, elderberry, nopal cactus, deergrass, and chaparral yucca, which have been used for traditional dyes and basket weaving across the region since time immemorial.
I received cultural guidance from Cindi M. Alvitre (Tongva) and Lorene Sisquoc (Apache, Cahuilla) of Mother Earth Clan. Along with their extensive knowledge about basketweaving materials, they chose the symbolism to be represented in the design of the basket. The zig zag lines represent water and the dots in the swirling pattern signify the Milky Way, where the ancestors pass on to, honoring the basket weavers of the past. The hands embody the weavers of today who tenderly hold the future, nourishing the next generation along life’s river.
Photography by Diana Lake