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Arizona artist creates mural at domestic violence shelter ahead of WNBA All-Star Game

Artist Lucinda "La Morena" Hinojos and others stand next to the mural.
Joshua Coe
Members of the the Phoenix Mercury dance team, artist Lucinda "La Morena" Hinojos, Executive Director of the Phoenix Suns/Mercury Foundation Sarah Krahenbuhl and Chicanos Por La Causa President and CEO Alicia Nuñez stand next to the mural.

The WNBA All-Star Weekend has arrived here in the Valley. Ahead of the events, the Phoenix Mercury and nonprofit organization Chicanos Por La Causa teamed up with a local artist to create a mural outside a domestic violence shelter.

Lucinda Hinojos, also known as “La Morena,” designed the purple and orange mural to highlight what she calls “SHE-roes” of the past, present and future.

The mural depicts Latina civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, Phoenix Mercury player Diana Taurasi and a young girl.

Hinojos shared her experiences being able to talk with some of the people at the shelter run by Chicanos Por La Causa.

“It's not that we exchange stories but just being around them and talking to them and just being in a space that I'm able to create and provide so much joy for them with this mural has been very heartwarming for me," she said.

She says there are influences for her murals.

“With my murals, I like to paint stories, real stories or something that has really impacted me that I can share or something about our community heroes or ‘SHE-roes,’ you know, I paint a lot of portraits of women that have real stories behind them," she said.

Hinojos says she’d been working on the mural since May and routinely worked late into the night to meet the deadline.

Ignacio Ventura is a reporter for KJZZ. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and a minor in news media and society.
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