By Lookout Staff

June 10, 2025 -- A handmade mural chronicling the often unseen work that keeps the city running has been installed on the facade of the Operations Building at the Santa Monica City Yards.

The ceramic tile mural titled "Manos Unidas" took artist Tanya Aguiñiga more than a year of "collaboration and creativity" to complete with input from the essential workers who shared their stories, City officials said.

"Manos Unidas by Tanya Aguiñiga (Courtesy City of Santa Monica)

Aguiñiga also created a series of "touchstones" that "focus on the identifying markers of specific workshops onsite, including HVAC technicians, carpenters (and) plumbers."

"Based on her interactions, (Aguiñiga) created a record of their labor through the individual imprints of wrenches, saws, pipe fittings, safety gear, office equipment and many other tools, underscoring the innate dignity of labor," officials said.

The touchstones -- which will be installed around the 14.7 acre campus "for staff to mark their worksites" -- aim to connect "offices and workshops to daily activity."

The mural was created using four distinct clay bodies and is surrounded by a border of matte black tile and metal frame, according to City officials.

"The artwork’s interlocking hands honors the expertise of the essential workers at this site and the care that binds the community," officials said.

"Aguiñiga's intention was to create an artwork for every worker to feel seen and valued, and that reflects not only their professional roles and connection in the workplace but also a sense of home."

According to her website, Aguiñiga is "an artist, designer, and craftsperson who works with traditional craft materials like natural fibers and collaborates with other artists and activists to create sculptures, installations, performances, and community-based art projects."

Aguiñiga holds an MFA in furniture design from Rhode Island School of Design and a BA from San Diego State University. She is a United States Artists Target Fellow in the field of crafts and traditional arts and a National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures awardee.

She has had major solo exhibitions at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, among others.