The Los Angeles artist whose recent works depicting the Eaton Fire’s aftermath were acquired by the city’s top museums is trading gallery walls for community canvas.
Edgar Arceneaux will lead Altadena residents in painting a community mural Jan. 23-25 at Bob Lucas Memorial Library. The project marks a shift from his museum success to hands-on recovery work.
His pieces “Skinning the Mirror (Summer 1)” and “Skinning the Mirror (Winter 9)” – both created in 2025 – were snapped up by major institutions including the Hammer Museum, LACMA and MOCA. The works sold at Frieze Los Angeles earlier this year.
Now the Whitney Biennial veteran and USC associate professor is focusing on collective healing.
“Our new mural will celebrate powerful themes of regrowth, rebuilding resilience, literacy and community values that speak deeply to who we are and where we’re going,” said Nikki Winslow, district director of Altadena Library District.
The project invites all ages and skill levels. Seven two-hour sessions will run across three days, with spots available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and weekend sessions at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.
Registration is available at altadenalibrary.org/programs.
The mural builds on design workshops held in September, where community members developed the vision. Altadena Poets Laureate Sehba Sarwar and Lester Graves Lennon co-facilitated those sessions alongside Arceneaux.
The January event represents phase two of a participatory art project rooted in post-disaster recovery. The Eaton Fire tore through Altadena on Jan. 7, 2025, destroying more than 9,000 buildings.
Bob Lucas Memorial Library sustained minimal damage. The facility reopened Aug. 16, 2025, after a $4.5 million renovation funded by Proposition Z bonds approved by voters in 2020.
Arceneaux brings extensive community-engaged practice to the project. He co-founded the Watts House Project, a nonprofit focused on neighborhood revitalization around the historic Watts Towers from 1999 to 2012.
His works appear in permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum and Walker Art Center. He earned his MFA from California Institute of the Arts in 2001.
The mural project emerged through standard administrative authority delegated to Winslow. The Board of Library Trustees provides oversight through monthly meetings but programming decisions typically fall within the director’s discretion.
Specific budget details for the mural have not been publicly disclosed. The project likely draws from operating funds rather than the $9.3 million capital improvement program.
Branch Manager Diana Wong coordinates on-site operations for the painting sessions.
The library facility at 2659 N. Lincoln Ave. is fully wheelchair accessible following renovations. Service animals are welcome. The district has not yet published specific accessibility details for the outdoor painting sessions.
No community opposition has surfaced in public records or Town Council minutes. The project received featured placement in the district’s official programming calendar.
Altadena operates as an unincorporated special district in Los Angeles County with independent governance. The distinction carries legal and administrative significance separate from neighboring Pasadena.
The library district serves residents through five elected Board of Library Trustees members. Current board president Kameelah Waheed Wilkerson’s term runs through December 2028.
Winslow announced the project to Altadena Town Council in August and September 2025. Town Council Chair Victoria Knapp and former chair Veronica Jones attended the library’s grand reopening.
The project aligns with district themes of “Regrowth, Rebuilding, Resilience, Literacy and Community.” Winslow was recently appointed to the California Special Districts Association board in recognition of her leadership.
For information, call the library at (626) 798-0833 or visit altadenalibrary.org.
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