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Jaque Fragua, of Jemez Pueblo, begins a mural by letting the paint... (Niki Rhynes/For the Sun-News)
LAS CRUCES — If Jaque Fragua had only five more dollars in his pocket, he would buy spray paint and paint some walls while it lasts. "I don't believe art is a luxury," said Fragua, a multimedia artist who is part of the American Indian Mural Krew. "It's a way of life; it's something that's necessary." Fragua, a Native American from the Walatowa village of the Jemez Pueblo, along with a few local and non-local artists, has completed a mural at Court Youth Center depicting Native culture and the Native presence here in Las Cruces and New Mexico.
The mural will be unveiled today at the Court Youth Center, 402 W. Court Ave. From 4 to 5:30 p.m. today Fragua will present his work, and other works, at the Milton Hall theater on the NMSU campus — with a reception to follow.
The graffiti activist style of the mural will be a colorful and bright homage to leadership — and female leadership — something that has stood out to Fragua when he arrived in the area Monday.
When he travels to do murals in urban settings, he likes to look at the community and put an emphasis on its strengths or its weaknesses, while keeping the Native population in mind.
He sees leadership here, he said.
His art expresses "civil unrest, social justice, emotional introspection and personal healing," according to his Tumblr profile.
"The Native part of me is trying to just grow," Fragua said. "And a lot of forces are trying to stop that and make boundaries."
With
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graffiti, or any medium Fragua dabbles in, it's the message and the story that counts more than just the paints, the colors and the techniques. This art is totally human and it dates back to when ancient humans wrote on walls to tell stories and express themselves, he said. It's not about the money or the status, it's about the story, expression and letting everyone know there is an indigenous presence everywhere. Fragua, 25, starting spray painting about 13 years ago and is self-taught. His interest in the medium sparked from painting on the walls one day with some other boys. From there, he started experimenting and learning from other artists, and eventually developed his own style. He travels all over the country doing murals and projects.

Saba
Half of the kids in Saba's daughter's second-grade class thought Native Americans were extinct when they were asked to raise their hands if they thought so.
"The only time they mention indigenous people at the elementary level is during Thanksgiving," said Saba, Jemez Pueblo and "Diné" Navajo who goes by one name. "We're classified as extinct I realized that, wow, we're all alone down here (in Las Cruces)."
Even at the university level, Native American culture, history and issues are hidden in just a few classes many students do not know about or care to take, he said.
That's why Saba and the organizers from New Mexico State University I.D.E.A. (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access) Critical Conversations Series brought Fragua to Las Cruces.
Aerosol is a fitting method. Graffiti is a direct message, it can't be avoided, it's big and it's sometimes controversial. It's a way of showing, "Yo! We're here," Saba said.
Saba is also helping Fragua with the mural.
He moved here two years ago and continues to work as an artist expressing himself and his culture through screenprinting and aerosol art. He plans to open up a shop that includes screenprinting, custom printing, a recording studio and graphic design with other artists. Through his art and networking, Saba met Fragua — and the rest is history, leading to the mural at Court Youth Center.
"I really appreciate all the work that he's doing and the fight to bring our presence back into the urban area," Saba said.
For more information or to see Saba's art, visit his website at sabahut.com.

Diversity
"You get informed and educated and you get angry," said Dulcinea Lara, a professor at NMSU who is part of the Critical Conversations Series committee. "Because of your love for your community, you take action."
Fragua's work is filled with that sort of love — an underlying anger with frustration toned down with a larger love for his people and homeland, Lara said.
NMSU benefits immensely from being one of the larger diverse college campuses in the nation. The Critical Conversations Series brought the topics of color and equity to campus — something to stir up the students and get them really thinking about what diversity really is and that connection to their communities, Lara said.
Fragua's work will bring out some of the heavier topics of diversity, that is why he is a speaker in this series, Lara said.

Andi Murphy can be reached at (575) 541-5453

If you go
What: Critical Conversations Series: Jaque Fragua
Where: Milton Hall theater on the NMSU campus
When: 4 to 5:30 p.m. today
How much: Free
Info: Visit academicactivists.blogspot.com or visit Fragua's Tumblr page at fragua.tumblr.com