ITRAicons

IT-RA is the collaboration of Kansas City muralists Isaac Tapia and Rodrigo Alvarez.

The duo began working together in the summer of 2017, when they were commissioned to paint two murals at the Richardson Early Learning Center. Since then, the artists have been commissioned to paint over 50 murals in the Kansas City area. Their most notable works are the “Angel of Ours” on Troost Corridor, “Cafe Corazón” at Cafe Corazón in Westport and “Past, present, and you are the future ” at the Ewing Marion Kauffman School. Their diverse body of work is united by vibrant colors, evolving designs and themes that celebrate their communities and honor their identities as artists who migrated to the U.S. at a very young age.

As established muralists from the Kansas City area, IT-RA understands the power and potential of public art, and the enormous impact it can have on the local community. When they are done right, murals can become focal points. More than just beautiful backdrops for photos and videos, they become sources of inspiration, pride, growth, dialogue, celebration and empowerment for their community. They are cultural and historical reservoirs for their environment.

They have witnessed this power within their own work. Many of their murals are partnerships with small businesses, and have become emblems of their establishments. Each one of their murals is tailored to the cultural context of its environment and is rich with symbolism that celebrates the unique history, color, flavor and stories of its location. As artists, they seek to do more than just beautify a space; they create a work of art that centers, is informed by, and belongs to its community. Their hope is that their murals are both storytellers and story-starters; that they become the backdrop for the future dialogue, memories, moments and events of the community.

Their artistic process begins with a cleaning step, where they power wash the painting areas, then prime the walls, typically with white. Then they paint over the primed layer, and then they can build a foundation for the design and spray paint designs. At the end of the painting process, they go back with brushes for quick finishing details. They choose the clear coat covering depending on the wall materials, but they always recommend using a UV/graffiti deterrent finishing coat. They use Montana Gold spray paint and Nova paint for detailing.

Example A
(Pre-Process) Community Session: Art and mural workshop
Day 1: Sketching and painting on top bookend
Day 2: Painting top bookend continued
Day 3: Sketching and painting bottom bookend
Day 4: Painting bottom bookend continued
Day 5: Artist makes finishing touches and details

Their goal is to have the community involved throughout the entirety of this process. Ideally, they will host a workshop before the painting process begins where they engage with the community to talk about what a mural represents. They hope to have this workshop in dialogue style to verbally engage with the community’s knowledge and understanding of how art impacts their lives. They will go over the concept of the art installation and explain the concept and designs of the piece. Additionally, community members will be instructed on how the paint and tools are to be used. The design of the mural is also made so that community volunteers can easily engage and paint with the artists and play an equal role in making this art for the community.

Example B
They had a couple of events for one of their murals, the community joined in painting on site. During the covid pandemic, for the community members that could not make it, they delivered something called “Parachute Paper” to paint and then it was adhered to the wall.

Lesson Outline Form

ITRAicons Mural Project

Instructor Name/s: Isaac Tapia and Rodrigo Alvarez
Project Tile: Mural Project
No. of Sessions Required: 15+
Grades / Age Range: 10+

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM GOALS

• Entrepreneurial Skills
• Develop Social, Leadership & Life Skills
• Work cooperatively with other kids
• Discover new interests and take creative chances
• Develop positive relationships, and contribute to their community

DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS

Students will have control over some of the images they will portray on the mural. They can come from life experiences or just their own imagination.

Students will be planning out their own mural according to their own ideas and experiences. They will need to know what materials to use, how to use them and know when to use them. Planning how they will place their design on the wall will be vital to their decision-making skills.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

IT-RA will be creating a mural from scratch, making sure that kids know the entrepreneurship part of the art industry and its implication in everyday life. They will start with a couple of classes on how to charge, design, prepare and execute their mural. It will take another two sessions to ideate their design. Once they have a finished design, they will mock-up the design on to the wall, a process that will take one session. They will begin to sketch on the wall all of their design for approximately three sessions. Then the fun part begins, painting on the wall until finished this process may take up to seven sessions or more depending on their design.

PROJECT GOALS

1. Students can connect with their own community and develop their own leadership when ideating the mural.
2. Students can apply the entrepreneurship part of the project to their everyday life.
3. Students will have a finished Mural created for them by them, something tangible that can last for years amplifying pride in their work.

KEY ACTIVITIES

• Introduction to Murals
• Talking about what IDEATION is and how to implement it
• Application of paint
• Planning ahead
• Discussion of art business
• Discussion of what worked and what didn’t during the process of executing the mural
• Pizza Party!

$250 nonrefundable Design Fee
$25-$50 x sqft (our square footage pricing ranges based on the level of intricacy, mural installation’s height off the ground, prep work and travel.
Community engagement cost is $100 per hour for two instructors plus the cost of materials.

The artistic process begins with a cleaning step, when they power wash the painting areas down well. Then they prime the walls, typically with white. They then paint over the primed layer and can then build a foundation for the design and then proceed to spray paint the designs. At the end of the painting process, they go back with brushes for quick finishing details. They usually choose the clear coat covering depending on the wall materials, but they always recommend using a UV/graffiti deterrent finishing coat. They use Montana Gold spray paint and Nova paint for detailing.

Mural projects rely on weather permitting days. They also depend on the mural’s size and equipment availability (if lift is required, uneven surface, etc. )
A standard ground level mural that is 10’x20′ requires five days to complete.
If booked three months ahead of time they are able to work up to a month (30 days) anywhere in the continental U.S. and its territories.