Ecuadorian artist Raúl Ayala collaborated with young student artists on the latest mural featured at the historic Houston Bowery Mall in downtown Manhattan. The mural honors Groundswell, an organization that encourages youth, artists, and community organizations to use art for social change. The mural, featuring surrealistic touches, reflects on the difficult times we are living in amid the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests against police violence and systemic racism and the global COVID-19 pandemic. Ayala describes the mural as “opening a portal” and is meant to have viewers think about “how we exist in relationship to each other, how we hold and take care of our individual, social, and cultural essence.” He adds: “For me, building imagination and sharing knowledge alongside a younger generation of artists is a great manifestation of the fruits of this shift. With this mural, we are also bringing intergenerational participation into a future that honors our past while actively creating a different path of existence.”