Tree of Life

The Tree of Life mural represents the unity that is rooted in community, wisdom, and understanding. Individuals grow from their ancestors, passing along knowledge of how they came to be. The many stories are often intertwined when focusing on a specific place, such as historically rich East Waco. This mural is designed to highlight the flourishing community rooted in Elm Avenue.

Generations of families in East Waco have grown and thrived through hardships and represent a vibrant culture that has often been overlooked and under-appreciated. Co-designers Vincent Thomas and Cade Kegerreis considered this project an opportunity to reflect these rich stories and respect the history of this neighborhood while looking to its future and aspirations.

The wall is naturally divided into 7 panels each represents a day of the week, and a facet of the community’s success interwoven with symbolic fruits and stories from East Waco.

Sunday/ Roots of Faith: Sunday celebrates faith, leadership, perseverance, and community love. Religion has always been a way for groups to join for a purpose larger than themselves, sharing in the values of love and acceptance. religion grounds our individual endeavors allowing ideas to connect and flourish into all facets of Life.

Monday/ Budding Family: Monday depicts the flowering of family love. Connection with parents, family and community nourishes a child even before birth, imprinting them with the patterns of family life and allowing developing passions or talents to blossom into purposes beyond childhood.

Tuesday/ Seeds of Wisdom: Tuesday celebrates the importance of knowledge, productivity, curiosity, and collaboration through education and its related opportunities. Body, mind and spirit are cultivated through teachers, mentors and community leaders using their gifts to lead young people into community life.

Wednesday/ Rooted and Reaching: Overall unity is shown through the tree and its three figures. Reflecting pillars of wisdom through tradition, preservation of culture, and sharing of skill and stories in the form of both person and an ancient, sacred tree. The trunk is the heart that connects the roots to the fruit and leaves that are eventually produced. These roots can be seen as the nourishment of a community, and represent those who have gone before. The trunk links past to present and future as it builds and reaches toward the light. The branches, leaves and fruit that radiate from this central trunk display the strength, achievement and potential for future growth and prosperity of the East Waco community.

Thursday/ Shoots of Prosperity: With the support and care that is represented by the tree, the passions and knowledge from Wednesday’s panel have grown into businesses and parks. Historical businesses that once thrived in East Waco are celebrated alongside current and future enterprise. These places have all played a part in the growth and connection of the community, and there is space for you to put yourself in this picture.

Friday/ Flowers of Legacy: With Friday comes a focus on flourishing focused in creativity and entertainment. Many celebrated musicians, performers, and creatives graced East Waco and bore their fruits of fame across the world. This tradition continues.

Saturday/ Fruits of Hope: After the days spent nurturing and cultivating, the fruit and harvest are symbolic of all areas of flourishing, and also a recollection of the building’s original role as a supermarket. The labor turned into the fruit can now be enjoyed and shared to nourish the work ahead. The soil is turned, honoring the memory of those who have passed, and rich with seeds of hope for a brighter future.