Welcome to Little Arabia Mural
A Community Project
The Welcome to Little Arabia mural, commissioned by the Arab American Civic Council, celebrates Anaheim’s Little Arabia District as a place of arrival, belonging, and everyday community life.
The mural honors the experience of beginning new lives in a place many now call home. From a distance, the mural serves as a landmark welcoming visitors to Little Arabia. Up close, it invites viewers to slow down and discover layered stories of migration, culture, food, generosity, resilience, and community celebration. It reflects the idea that what may appear ordinary at first glance becomes meaningful when we take time to look more closely.
The project centered on youth learning and community storytelling through a series of hands-on, place-based activities, including:
- Six educational presentations on Arab American history, Little Arabia, public art, and civic engagement
- A full-day tour of Little Arabia, supplemented by an arts-and-culture learning experience developed by AACC and Magnolia High School
- Artist-led mural workshops with Joshua Flores and Giesi Amaya
- Several student-created mural drafts, with three drafts that directly shaped the final design
More than 30 students participated, many of whom lived nearby but had never explored Little Arabia in depth. Through classroom lessons and neighborhood engagement, students connected history, culture, and creative expression in meaningful ways. During the district tour, they visited over a dozen local businesses, spoke with community members, and reflected on languages, storefronts, murals, and cultural traditions. These observations became the foundation for their mural concepts and informed Joshua’s final artwork.
How it Happened: A Community Comes Together
This project began as an experiment in how people who live and work in or near Little Arabia might create art inspired by a place they may have previously seen as ordinary or had little reason to visit. Centered on community engagement, the mural was developed through a collaborative process that uplifted youth voices and community knowledge, producing artwork rooted in lived experience.
Working alongside Arab American community members, Al Karmel business owners, and students from Magnolia High School’s art program (led by Vanessa Fogelquist), the Arab American Civic Council organized a series of classroom presentations on Arab American history, the significance of Little Arabia, public art, and civic engagement. These lessons culminated in a guided tour of the Little Arabia District, during which many students engaged directly with the neighborhood, local businesses, and community members for the first time.
Students translated these experiences into original mural concepts, transforming observation into creative expression.
Their concepts served as the foundation for the final artwork, with artists Joshua Flores and Giesi Amaya integrating students’ ideas into the completed mural. By placing youth at the center of the creative process, the project increased cultural awareness, strengthened community relationships, and produced a public-facing artwork that reflects Little Arabia through the perspectives of people across generations, backgrounds, and experiences.
Like Little Arabia itself, the mural’s beauty lives in the details – visiting local businesses, engaging with community members, and finding space to be fully yourself.
The mural would not have been possible without the generous support of Diane Shamas and the Doreen Marshall Fund for Youth, and by the many local businesses, educators, and community members who opened their doors to the students.
This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit http://www.calhum.org/
Mural Themes
Each letter in ARABIA represents a core value rooted in the Little Arabia community:
A: Arrival – Birds moving through the borders and migrating into Anaheim, symbolizing immigration, the Arabic writing meaning “your home.” The parrots pay homage to Latin Americans, flying into the “A” to represent “no borders.”
R: Culture & Comfort – Intergenerational representation and fashion, as well as access to Arabic arts, culture, and knowledge.
A: Generosity – Arab coffee practices that honor hospitality and generosity. The steam spells out “generosity” (Karam / كرم).
B: Food – Workers use a traditional oven to prepare food, representing community labor, care, and nourishment.
I: Steadfastness (Sumud / صمود) – Kuffiyeh patterns reflecting resilience and cherishing heritage.
A: A Community Rising – Silhouettes of community members advocating for Little Arabia, dabke dancers, and a woman pointing towards Freedom (Hurriya / حرية).
Set against Anaheim streets and highways with a California sunset backdrop, the mural situates Little Arabia firmly within the city while honoring its transnational roots.
About the Artist: Joshua Flores
Joshua Flores is a community-centered mural artist whose work explores identity, place, and collective memory. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Joshua Flores brings a deep commitment to collaborative public art practices that uplift local stories and voices.
Click here to view Jawsh’s Instagram
About the Artist: Giesi Amaya
Giesi Amaya is a sign painter and muralist collaborating with Joshua in communities near East LA. Giesi has added special details and signage on gyms, outdoor murals, and local businesses around the area.
Click here for Giesi’s Instagram
About the Teacher: Vanessa Fogelquist
Vanessa Fogelquist is the Visual Arts teacher at Magnolia High School. She started teaching visual art in 2012 in South LA. In 2018, she came to Magnolia to start teaching. Vanessa teaches beginning, intermediate, advanced, and AP art to Magnolia’s diverse student body.
Community Impacts
This mural was created through a months-long partnership between the Arab American Civic Council, Magnolia High School art teacher Vanessa Fogelquist, muralists Joshua Flores and Giesi Amaya, local artist Doris Bitar, Al Karmel business owners Sanad, Mowafaq, and Ziad Morra, and numerous Arab American community members, such as Nader Hamda, Mohammad Alam, and Kareem Hawari, who opened their doors to welcome the students.
Beyond artistic production, the mural fostered deeper relationships between schools, community organizations, artists, and small businesses. Students saw their ideas translated into a permanent public artwork, strengthening their sense of belonging and civic participation. Community members saw their stories reflected on a shared wall, reinforcing neighborhood pride and cultural visibility.
We hope the Welcome to Little Arabia mural continues to serve as both a landmark and a living narrative, welcoming longtime residents, new arrivals, and visitors alike, while demonstrating how community-centered public art can build connections, foster understanding, and create lasting community impact.
