Project Description
The Power of Pomona is People is a tile mural honoring Pomona residents recognized by their neighbors as people who have made a positive difference. The mural includes 56 photo-based portraits translated into glazed ceramic tile. Each portrait is displayed alongside a “power statement” written about them by a friend or neighbor, such as, “Jonah showed me the power of courage,” “Ageo showed me the power of culture through music,” and “Minerva showed me the power of following my dreams.” The artist hopes the artwork will encourage the viewer to think positively about the people around them.
Artist Statement
“In over two decades of work, I have developed and refined my design in deep collaboration with the community. The final artwork uses tilography to celebrate the everyday people who make Pomona powerful, revealing the power of mentorship in our individual lives.”
About the Artist
STEPHEN FARLEY (b. 1962, Upland, California) is an artist originally from the Pomona Valley. Farley has completed numerous public art projects across the United States that aim to honor and uplift the communities and individuals tied to the location in which the work exists. Examples of his public art projects include Windows to the Past, Gateway to the Future at Broadway Underpass in Tucson, Arizona, Keeping Watch at Los Angeles County Fire Station 150 in Santa Clarita, California and What We Do at Frisco Public Works Facility in Frisco, Texas. Farley created his own process for translating photographs to ceramic tile called tilography, which he has applied in the installation at Pomona North Station. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Williams College.