Acorn Coloring Artbook & Share Board

#MyCaliAcornArt

Click here to go to the Acorn Coloring Artbook Share Board

Behind the Design of the Acorn Logo & Acorn Coloring Artbook

Artist Statement

“Given the task of coming up with a design that will represent outreach to all of the tribes in California was challenging. One of the themes that we felt that all California tribes could identify with is acorns. The acorn has been a staple of all of the tribes. Each tribe has its own laws of gathering, processing, and uses of this staple food. I felt the outreach should start in the middle of the logo. The outreach goes through the acorns, through the leaves to each tribe, and sharing that knowledge comes back through the leaves and acorns back to the center. It is this sharing of knowledge that will determine the richness of our people to be represented in the development of the Heritage Center.” —Eric Wilder

Artists Collaboration

Eric Wilder conceived the logo design through a visionary process of conceptualization through a collaboration of conversation among the artists involved in the coloring book design project. These artists, curated by Meyo Marrufo, an accomplished well-known California Native American artist, met numerous times to reflect on the question, “What are the commonalities and the differences among California Native American tribes and people?” The collaboration considered symbolism, cultural elements, nature and spirituality, and physical characteristics of landscapes, among other thoughtful considerations. In the end, the unifying vision was the symbolism of outreach by way of acorns to represent the regionalism of place, but with unique location-based characteristics. As such, the acorn became the visionary theme among the individual pieces of art developed by each artist. Each tells an authentic story through the lens of each artist of the importance of the acorn to each individual, their cultural experiences and attachment, and connections.