He didn’t sign his name.
But The Heights Foundation was determined to ask muralist Juan Diaz to paint a gargantuan mural for the lobby of its education building.
“Juan Diaz had done an artwork with our kids years ago, and he never signed it,” said Kathryn Kelly, founder, president and CEO of the Heights Foundation. “And we didn't have his name, but we finally tracked him down, found him and asked him if he would be willing to do another piece of art for our 25th anniversary celebration.”
Today, the Heights Foundation stands where workers once toiled in potato, vegetable and gladiolus farms.
Kelly knows that firsthand.
Her grandparents, father and uncles once farmed potatoes in that area.
“Those farm fields went away and the families that lived here fell into poverty,” Kelly noted. “And so we are working to build self-sufficient families in this neighborhood. We have a community center here. We have an education building. We have programs for adults … and we have an early learning center … a charter school, kindergarten through fifth grade. And we have an after-school program, a summer camp program. We do GED and ESL classes, financial literacy classes. So, we stand in the gap, and we help families wherever they need help.”
For a quarter of a century, The Heights Foundation has been all about the Harlem Heights community. So, Diaz knew from the outset that its silver anniversary mural had to codify that community.
“I met Kathryn and we walked through the building,” Diaz said. “Within a month, I came and met with the elders, and they gave me the opportunity to go around the neighborhood on a tour…. They showed me the different areas where the old school used to be, where the market used to be. And I was really inspired by their stories.”
Diaz’s own family had emigrated from Bogata, Columbia. He identified with their struggle, perseverance and resilience, which included completely rebuilding every house in their neighborhood following Hurricane Ian.
“We talked about portraying families, portraying grandparents,” Diaz recalled. “It was very important portraying the past and portraying the present and the future.”
But the mural couldn’t just be about the community.
It had to be by the community.
So, Diaz lined up 12 wooden panels in the Community Center and invited the community’s children, adults and elders paint the mural’s underlayment.
“I think as an artist when we take the time to put ourselves, to just give all of ourselves, I think energy is left within the work,” Diaz opined.
Everything contained in the mural’s final composition is symbolic, including its many references to art, music and culture. Both Kelly and Diaz hope the mural will inspire the children who visit the education building and community center to appreciate the arts no matter their chosen profession or career.
“Even if none of those kids grow up to be artists or musicians, I think in life it's important to explore creativity when you're young enough because it's helpful for the rest of your life,” said Diaz.
But the mural is also aspirational.
It’s intended to help the kids who see it shoot for the stars.
“We wanted the children to look at the mural and be inspired to be productive adults,” Diaz explained. “The gentleman on the very left, if he gets an opportunity to go to university, becomes a professional. The nurse, the mechanic, the chef, these are all going to be vocations that are going to be part of the career tech.”
Kelly’s reaction to the completed mural is representative of that of the Harlem Heights community.
“I didn't know that it was going to be something this amazing,” said Kelly. “I'm just over the moon about how beautiful this mural turned out. It talks about the history of our community. It talks about the kids that are here right now, and the adults that are here right now, and then the future of the neighborhood. And so we captured the past, the present, and the future. And again, beyond my expectations.”
Diaz named the mural “The Growth of Our Beloved Neighborhood."
“It started as a commission,” Diaz added. “But I identify with many parts of the story and what it is.”
MORE INFORMATION:
The mural was officially installed on January 17, 2026.
The mural comprises 12 hand-built wooden panels that the artist bolted together to give the mural a seamless appearance.
Each wood panel measures 12.6 feet by 21 feet.
The mural is located on the west wall of the two-story lobby of the 33,000-square-foot educational building.
Conversations about the project began in September 2024.
The Heights Foundation entered into its agreement with Diaz in October 2025.
Diaz began the project in early November, hand-building each of the 12 panels.
“I spoke to Lawrence Voytek, who was Bob Rauschenberg’s fabricator, and he’s the one who suggested I bolt all the panels together and that I use French cleats to hang the mural,” said Diaz. “That took me about a week. I finished that process on December 14 and that’s when I started to paint the mural.”
Diaz painted the 12 panels over the ensuing 24 consecutive days. To meet his promised completion date, he often worked 17 hours per day.
As promised, he installed the mural on Saturday, Jan. 17, assembling it on the ground and then lifting it into place using a scissor lift.
More about the mural’s underlayment
To reinforce the Heights Foundation’s long-standing mission to serve and uplift the community, Diaz developed the work in collaboration with the children and elders of the Harlem Heights neighborhood.
The images painted by the children, adults and elders who took part in the community painting day form the painting’s underlayment. But Diaz did not merely paint over their work. Rather, their work forms the foundation for the persons, places and things that appear in the mural’s final composition.
In essence, their imagery infuses the mural with collective energy and spirit.
“The kids know that their work is incorporated,” Kelly pointed out. “But he didn’t paint over all of it. So, you can still see some of the kids’ artwork in places.”
Reception given the mural by Harlem Heights adults and elders
“We brought our seniors in to see it, and they were so thrilled, especially about showing the history of the area because many of them had lived through that,” Kelly reported.
“Their parents and even some of them had worked in the gladiolius fields and the other farm fields. So, they liked seeing the history.”
But they were equally appreciative of the focus on the community’s youth.
“They loved seeing the bright colors and the kids learning, the kids sitting there reading with a teacher and then looking toward the future,” she added. “It was very well received. I was thrilled to work with Juan. I just loved the work that he did for us and the personal time that he took to really listen and capture what we had talked about.”
Inside the mural
“The Growth of Our Beloved Neighborhood” celebrates the vibrant spirit of Southwest Florida, with a focus on the Harlem Heights neighborhood and the transformative impact of the Heights Foundation and the Heights Center. Since the Foundation’s inception in 2000, the area has thrived, fueled by dedicated efforts and a clear purpose.
But before he lifted the first paintbrush or mixed the first color, Diaz did copious research into the history of the Harlem Heights neighborhood and the role that the Heights Foundation and Heights Center play within it.
“After my first visit and the tour of the education building, Kathryn sent me videos of everything that had happened the past 10 years,” said Diaz.
The exercise also prompted the artist to draw parallels to his own heritage.
“Within the last five years, I've learned that my heritage includes being of African descent, indigenous descent and European, of course,” Diaz related. “So when I met them and I heard their stories, I started thinking about my family as well. Even though my family's story is not like theirs, I understood their struggle and perseverance, and I identified with them in many ways.”
The mural depicts a gladiolus field. It represents the area’s beginnings as a farm-working community and serves as an ideal backdrop to tell its story. A sunny sky with a tint of outer space symbolizes the infinite possibilities that lie beyond.
There’s a mature tree to the right of the composition. According to Diaz, it embodies home, strong families and resilient communities. Below the tree, in black and white, there are two children picking gladiolus flowers in front of a modest home. Diaz included them to acknowledge and honor the neighborhood’s history.
In the foreground, there is an older woman. Diaz said she embodies the grandmothers of the community, matriarchs who form the heart and soul of families, offering unconditional love, wisdom and guidance.
There is a young couple behind her. Gazing toward the horizon, they are depicted as full of hope and excitement for their newborn as they dream of a bright and promising future.
“I felt so identified [with the Harlem Heights community] that I decided to include my family,” Diaz remarked. “So in the composition, I'm the baby in the composition. That’s my mother holding me and the gentleman right next to her is my father.”
In the bottom left, an adult woman reads to children, symbolizing the educators’ role in shaping the community’s future. Diaz intentionally depicts her reading from a book, rather than a laptop, tablet or her phone.
“I love books, so with Kathryn’s approval, we kept it old school,” Diaz said.
At the center of the mural, five children joyfully play instruments and create art, reflecting the vibrant present and the Heights Center’s mission to nurture well-rounded individuals through education and cultural enrichment.
At the top, a high school graduate smiles with joy, hope and pride, symbolizing a bright future ahead.
“I don't have any children,” said Diaz. “I've never been married, but I have two sisters and they both have kids. My middle sister, Carolina, her daughter is Sophia, which is the graduate in the composition.”
His nephew Lucas also appears the mural.
“My youngest sister, Maria, her son is Lucas, my nephew, and I made him the young painter,” Diaz continued. “I have him painting a painting called ‘The Light Within,’ which is a painting that speaks about the soul or the light of a person.”
To the left, a group of professionals stand confidently against a city skyline, representing the wealth of opportunities that await.
Finally, a wavy stairway crosses the composition. It’s a metaphor for life’s journey, filled with opportunities disguised as challenges. It is up to each of us, with the support of family and community, to navigate this commitment and determination to improve our chances of leading a rewarding and purposeful life.
“So, [the mural project] may have started as a commission, but I identify with many parts of the story and what it is. Even though it is their story, it's the story of many of us and I so I felt identified.”
The artist
Diaz was born in Bogata, Columbia, in 1981. His father, a graduate of Colombia’s National University with an emphasis on fine art, recognized his son’s artistic talent at a very early age.
“My father was a sculptor, but after I was born, he switched into ceramics and started working with clay,” Diaz recalled. “His shop was always at the house, so I grew up with clay. Clay feels like home to me. And when I was around 4 or 5 years old, he began teaching me how to draw anatomy. I started copying anatomy books. And by the time I was 6 or 7, I began sculpting in clay and would do anatomy studies.”
Diaz immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager. The move precipitated a change of medium.
“When I moved to the United States, we didn't have the sculpting studio anymore, so then I began painting in our apartment bathroom. As a ceramicist, my father wasn't good with color, so he couldn't teach me color theory. So, I taught myself how to paint at 13, 14.”
After graduating from Naples High School in 1999, Diaz independently studied art history, materials and techniques.
“I'm glad that I didn't go to art school and that I trained myself because it gives me the ability to grab things,” said Diaz. “Sometimes when you go to art school, they box you in. So I'm grateful that I did my own training.”
Jonathan Green Studios granted him a three-year residency (2006-2009) and, more recently, Diaz assisted Marcus Jansen in his Fort Myers studios.
Since the late ‘90s, Diaz has used painting and drawing to explore the human condition. Murals indulge his penchant for working large-scale.
“I love working large. When I was little, I remember thinking I wanted to do paintings large enough that I could walk into them,” Diaz confided. “So having an opportunity like the one at the Heights Foundation is a one-of-a-kind experience.”
In 2010, Diaz added performance art and installations to investigate the relationship between life and death. His work reflects a constant search to express his understanding of the human experience.
Diaz’s work has been featured by the Baker Museum of Art, The Naples Depot Museum, Florida Gulf Coast University and Art Basel Miami Beach. In addition to the Heights Foundation, commissions include Collier County Government, the Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida and the Naples Art Institute.
Diaz was the recipient of the 2025 Museum50 Juried Award, the 2013 Southwest Florida FACE Award for Culture & Arts and the 1999 Porter Goss Award.
Historical note
The present community murals movement has its roots in the socialist realism of the Mexican Murals Movement of more than a century ago. In the wake of the 1910 revolution, Diego Rivera and other artists created public art to unify Mexico by celebrating the country’s indigenous history and its “heroic working class.”
In the 1930s and 1940s, the U.S. Works Progress Administration hired thousands of out-of-work artists to lift the spirits of a nation in the grips of the Great Depression by portraying the “American scene.” Together, they created more than 15,000 artworks for universities and government agencies, including murals that depicted people working in factories, farms and tenements, as well as icons of American ideals from Abraham Lincoln to Walt Whitman.
Today, community murals continue popping up in depressed residential neighborhoods and distressed business districts, barrios, favelas and shantytowns worldwide. While some criticize the tendency of comprehensive mural projects like Wynwood Walls in Miami to gentrify and thereby displace local residents and business owners, murals are a winning solution for most cities, landlords and residents because of their ability to engage the local community, dress up otherwise boring walls and help advertise and brand the properties on which they are painted. As buildings become known for the murals they depict, they create a sense of place, drawing foot traffic and ultimately a changing demographic of customers and tenants. Well-conceived murals not only elevate a property to an area landmark, but also provide a community with a focal point that speaks to what makes it unique while promising a more colorful, prosperous future.
From small towns to big cities across the state, blank walls are doubling as artists’ canvases, sporting scenes of Florida’s pioneer and agricultural heritage, celebrities and homegrown musicians.
Arcadia, Bonita Springs, Brooksville, Cocoa Beach, Crescent City, Deland, Dunedin, Eustis, Fort Pierce, Gainesville, Hernando Beach, High Springs, Hollywood, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Lake Placid, Lake Wales, Melbourne, Mount Dora, Ocala, Palatka, Plant City, Punta Gorda, Quincy, St. Cloud, Sarasota, Sebring, St. Petersburg, Stuart, Tampa, Tarpon Springs, Vero Beach, Wauchula and West Palm Beach are among the Sunshine State cities and towns with active mural programs. Many are part of the “Florida Mural Trail” (now under the direction of Visit Florida), which includes 27 cities that stretch from Miami to Tampa and on to Jacksonville.
Lake Placid gets the nod for most prolific at 47 murals, with Sebring playing catch-up with more than 30 of its own. With nearly as many murals in its downtown historic district, Punta Gorda has given itself the nickname of “Mural Town.”
Fueled by its annual Fall Shine Festival, the Sunshine City, St. Petersburg, has also transformed itself into a mural town in just a few short years.
With more than 30 murals that celebrate the history of Putnam County, Palatka goes one better, calling itself the “City of Murals.”
Hollywood’s Arts Park at Young Circle has garnered statewide accolades for the 21 fun and funky contemporary murals that are packed into just six square blocks, and the city of Jacksonville has roughly 20 murals concentrated in the downtown core within view of the curving banks of the St. Johns River.
While mural-making dates back millennia, this art form is by no means static. Many murals now contain an auditory component like mooing cows and peals of thunder.
Both virtual reality and augmented reality now give artists the tools to create seamless and rewarding immersive digital environments that carry viewers far beyond the storytelling afforded by traditional two-dimensional art. In addition to the incredible experience it delivers, VR/AR has the ability to break down language and accessibility barriers, generate buzz and create excitement in a community looking for growth or renewal. They encourage people to explore other neighborhoods and out-of-the-way places in their own towns. For example, when Orlando-based Electrifly installed its Trailblazer augmented reality mural on the side of Ventimiglia Italian Foods in Sterling Heights, Michigan, the 30-year-old deli became an overnight local landmark and destination, with hundreds of new patrons each day grabbing a bite before or after playing the interactive soccer game included in the mural.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
