R.U.G.S.

This “Graffitti Art” mural was completed in 2014 by artist Jaque Fragua and commissioned by Colorado College (CC). “Fragua’s mural on CC’s Whitney Electric building is heavily connected to his Native-American roots. … Fragua stylizes Native American rug patterns from various tribes. Similar to the way in which distinct tribal patterns are often clumped together in trading posts as ‘American Indian.’ Fragua utilizes multiple rug patterns as a commentary on the tendency to see Native Americans as one homogenous group. Notice the barcode at the top of the rugs. The vertical black and white lines that accompany the sets of zeroes and ones represent Fragua’s frustration as a Native American in the United States, feeling like he’s ‘just a census number.”’ The binary code and the abstract references to QRC code in the mural make links between traditional geometric patterns of Native rugs and technology-driven contemporary society. Jaque wants to assert that contemporary Native peoples exist in both traditional and contemporary cultures simultaneously. (Source: Colorado College article in “The Catalyst”, May 8, 2014 and CC Arts Department)