Together/ Apart: The COVID-19 Community Memory Archive

Pier Distance

Social distancing sign posted on closed Oceanside Pier. Sign reads "Please maintain physical distance of at least 6 feet. Beach subject to closure."

Stay Safe

Fish Taco shop [Harbor Fish Cafe] in Carlsbad, CA with a sign in front of restaurant. Sign reads "Closed stay safe."

Banned

Man sitting on a bench near a beach access with sign prohibiting entrance to beach due to pandemic.

Stacked Chairs

Stacked chairs in a limited opened restaurant [Knockout Pizza] to prevent people from sitting together.

Closed High School

Shuttered San Marcos High School during the pandemic.

Crunch Closed

Closed sign at local gym during pandemic.

Entrance Closed

Health Care campus at Kaiser Permamente closed with sign directing patients to outside tents.

Mandatory Coverings

Sign on beach mandating a face covering.

Beach Access Closed

Sign posted to keep people away from beach during pandemic.

Playground Closed

Playground in an apartment complex which has a sign taped to equipment advising it is closed.

Disinfecting Carts

Worker at Costco in Carlsbad, CA spraying disinfect on push carts before customers can use them during the COVID-19 lock down.

Closed University

Closed California State University San Marcos with university flag at half-staff during the COVID-19 mandatory shutdown.

Tags California State University San Marcos

Item Unavailable

Lone person ordering at food court with most items unavailable.

Masked Shoppers

Shoppers pushing a cart after shopping and wearing face protection.

COVID Graduate-5th Grade

Graduation sign for Carillo Elementary 5th grader since no in-class graduation permitted.

No Toilet Paper

Empty shelves at Target where toilet paper is normally stocked when people wipe out the supply by hoarding.

Thank You

Homeowner writes a thank you note to service workers in chalk on the driveway.

Sharing Table

Neighbor put out a "sharing table" with products available for anyone in need to take.

No Mask No Food

Patron leaving a takeout order from restaurant with a sign advising that if you don't have a protective mask you can't takeout food.

Single File

People lining up in single file in social distancing for entrance into a Home Depot in Vista, CA.

Drive by Happy Birthday

Signs announcing Happy Birthday for residence who drive by and send well-wishes since parties are banned due to COVID19.

Take Out and Delivery

Multiple business opened signs posted to inform people during the pandemic.

Beer mask

My friend who is an avid homebrewer in Colorado, Jessica Finlay, made me several beer masks to wear to work [Lost Abbey Brewing].

Muramid Art & Cultural Center Outdoor Murals by Marilyn with Joanne

Photographs of mural at Muramid Art & Cultural Center in process of being painted by Marilyn Huerta. Photographs by Joanne Tawfilis.

Being sent home from CSUSM with instructions to work from home, I was caught by surprise but I thought this would be a nice change of pace and I could find some free time to create my art. What I didn’t know was we’d be home far longer than I expected and the Stay-at-Home quarantine orders was not only coming from our university but also from our state and nation. The news on my television blared and it was nerve wrecking to hear but we couldn’t refrain from listening to it. The excitement in the voice of all newscasters made my heart beat a little faster and the news was creating quite a panic for all. It was not only in our local region but it was global!

I am a double CSUSM graduate and my research and practice has been focused on the arts and mental health. I also teach art healing courses through the CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care so I knew what I needed to do. I started by coping mechanisms by sketching rough drafts and dooldes in my sketchbook. It depicted what I was hearing on the news and the stress I was feeling. Then, we were told to wash our hands all the time but now we needed to wear a face mask everywhere we went? Wow, how is this happening in 2020? From sketching in my books and journals, I’d find time to paint in the evenings and on the weekends after spending long periods of time on the computer. Afterall, all communication was now via something called Zoom? What in the world is Zoom, I thought. When I was growing up, my parents taught me and brothers to go outside and play, “get away from the television, it will make you go blind”, they say.

From working in sketchbooks to painting in a small room at home, I wanted to get out. I needed fresh air and sunshine but where could I go without having to wear a mask or be near people? I took a lot of hikes and did some gardening with my husband. This inspired me to paint more. I also had the opportunity to paint an outdoor mural on a wall located in Oceanside, California, at the Muramid Art & Cultural Center founded by my friend and community partner, Joanne Tawfilis. We painted animals and nature on outdoor walls and they were to enclose a cultural garden.

Our nation’s political status was (and still is) a brewing hot pot and stress continues to grow. So many questions, so many uncertainties drove me to create more so I could process what was happening. I painted flowers and nature, colorful animals and people. I painted national symbols and the crisis we are experience during a pandemic. Art is the tool I use, to help me process, connect and communicate with other and to cope through this crisis.

This Covid19 pandemic continues, our global crisis’ continue, so I continue to create.

#ThankANurse
#ProtectOurEarth
#HumanityandLove
#Covid19Sucks
#StayAtHome
#WearAMask
#LovePrevails
#ArtHeals
#MakeArtNotWar

Masks

Photograph of 29 masks made over the previous weekend for donation to Rady's Childrens Hospital, San Diego. Not something I ever dreamed I would spend my weekend doing. Using Indonesia batik fabrics from a prior career.

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