These Thoughtful Wall Coverings Champion Latin American Heritage

Col­lec­tion: El Muro
Sur­face Mag­a­zine
By Jen­na Adri­an-Diaz
August 06, 2024

Every spring, Wolf-Gor­don unveils a con­cep­tu­al col­lec­tion of artist-dri­ven wall cov­er­ings that respond to press­ing issues of our time. Chief cre­ative offi­cer Mary­beth Shaw curates each col­lec­tion, which is unveiled to the world at one of the design industry’s lead­ing trade fairs (In 2023 the exec­u­tive tack­led the hot-but­ton issue of AI ​“cre­ativ­i­ty.”) This year’s col­lec­tion, El Muro, was a jubi­lant explo­ration of sev­en Latin Amer­i­can artists who are get­ting their due on the inter­na­tion­al design scene, and are address­ing issues of her­itage, iden­ti­ty, and belong­ing in the process.

El Muro, which trans­lates to ​“wall” in Span­ish and offi­cial­ly debuted at HD Expo in Las Vegas this past spring, brings togeth­er the wide-reach­ing work of sev­en Latin Amer­i­can artists. On a cre­ative research trip to Mex­i­co Design Week last year, Shaw found her­self struck by the clar­i­ty of vision of the artists and design­ers par­tic­i­pat­ing in the fair’s res­i­den­cies and exhi­bi­tions. Through­lines of Indige­nous tra­di­tions and future-fac­ing opti­mism in the works on view left a last­ing impres­sion. So too did con­ver­sa­tions with Shaw’s good friend Raul de Lara, a fine artist who’s also a DACA recip­i­ent and advo­cate. Before long, the ground­work was laid for El Muro: a col­lec­tion that explores the way the U.S.-Mexico bor­der and its pol­i­tics fac­tor into the prac­tices and lives of Latin Amer­i­can creatives.