Allison Ramirez is an artist from Colorado providing artistic services such as painting, graphic design, and murals. Allison’s husband, Pablo, was born and grew up on St. Croix, where his family still resides. Drawn by their mission to beautify and strengthen the town of Frederiksted, Allision reached out to Clean Sweep Frederiksted to inquire about painting a mural. She was asked to create a mural design to accompany a turtle mosaic located on the Frederiksted Pier and installed by Donna Boles. The design goal was to incorporate a mosaic-style mural around the turtle, adding to it without diminishing or taking away from its presence while also creating something for the residents of Frederiksted.

Artist Statement: Depicted on the wall now represents the magic of St. Croix, and the kindred spirit shared between its people. This magic and spirit are personified by the young woman whose flowing hair frames specific scene elements. Most prominent is a colorful and vibrant reef representing the life surrounding and supporting the island located underneath the turtle, which serves as a horizon between the reef and the island itself. To this point, you’ll see the horizon and night sky of St. Croix in the distance above that horizon. In addition to these elements of nature and life, you’ll see two specific nods to the heritage of St. Croix. First, above the turtle mosaic on the left-hand side is the ruins of a mill. Secondly, the woman on the bottom right is wearing a necklace that holds a Chaney pendant. It was important to me to include all of these visuals because I wanted to make a mural for the people of St. Croix and not a mural for commercial purposes.

I’ve named the mural “Ethos,” which means the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community manifested in its beliefs and aspiration. I hope that this mural is a piece the community is proud of, connects with, and reflects who they are as Crucians. My mural’s message should be the identity of St. Croix and all its parts: the natural life, the people, and the heritage.