Our Queer Kin Mural
Zachary D. Van Den Berg
Our Queer Kin, 2024
Porcelain glazed tiles on wedi board
96 x 120 inches
Displayed at Community Arts, LLC Joy Street location in Austin, Texas, USA
Description
Statement & Process
In creating the Our Queer Kin Mosaic Mural, I sought to weave together the rich tapestry of queer history, celebrating the vibrancy and resilience of our community. This mural is an act of remembering and reclamation. It features over 150 portraits of queer elders, ancestors, and contemporaries, alongside symbols of queer nature, each meticulously crafted to honor their stories and significance. These representations are humble invitations to viewers to engage actively with our history and to see themselves as part of this ongoing narrative.
This project is deeply rooted in the principles of art therapy and queer worldmaking, utilizing the transformative power of art to foster a dialogue of liberation, healing, and empowerment. It is a celebration of queer resilience, a testament to the power of visibility, and an invitation to all who engage with it to contribute to the continual shaping of our collective queer story.
As an artist and art therapist, this mural is my homage to the beautiful, diverse, and resilient queer community—a community that continues to inspire and teach me every day. It is my hope that this mural not only educates and informs but also serves as a site for reflection, inspiration, and connection.
About the Artist
Zachary D. Van Den Berg, MA, LPC, ATR-BC (they/he), a graduate of Adler University with an MA in Counseling: Art Therapy and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute (SAIC), has held various leadership roles within the art therapy community, publishes queer affirming art therapy scholarship in peer-reviewed journals and invited chapters for edited textbooks, and presents at various regional, national, and international creative arts therapies conferences and symposia. They founded and serve as president of the non-profit Coalition for Queer Creative Arts Therapies, Inc., and its annual Expressing Pride symposium. They also practice queer world-making art therapy at Community Arts, LLC in Austin, TX, serving LGBTQIA+ individuals and groups.
Learn More About the Mural
With Gratitude
The artist would like to thank Wanda Montemayor (co-sponsor), Community Arts (co-sponsor), E. Bush (studio assistant), A. Bush (co-author of brief descriptions), and all the people and stories -- told and untold -- that make up the mural.