La Borinqueña: An Interview with Creator Edgardo Miranda Rodriguez

There was also a lot of drama because this whole project started just before, and continued through the global pandemic. We were trying to figure out what we could do during quarantine. During that time we lost permission for the wall we had hoped to use because the owner of the building [was having financial difficulty and lost his property]—which was very reflective of what was happening nationally. Eventually Mural Arts found a new wall through a partnership with Norris Square.

Philadelphia has the second largest population of Puerto Ricans in the country. How impactful is this mural in this neighborhood? What were your interactions with the community members?

It’s truly inspiring to see the work that we did with La Borinqueña and how it was received. It was magical to be at that opening because there were youth approaching me, there were elders approaching me, there were elected officials. It was an amazing intergenerational outpouring of love and support.  When I arrived on the day of the dedication, I made a video, and it’s one of my most watched videos on Instagram. It’s my reaction to the mural, and it’s the funniest thing — even though I worked on something for so long, when I see it, I just can’t help myself and I am in awe, I’m crying in excitement. I recall that we pulled up and my partner and wife Kyung [said], “I have to film your reaction.” She filmed me looking at this epic, three-story mural and it was very similar to the reaction I had when I saw our La Borinqueña costume in Washington, DC at the Smithsonian museum. It’s a sense of overwhelming joy that I’ve created something that can connect with people on so many different levels in a new, but familiar way. We live in an era where we’re kind of bombarded by superhero imagery but none of these images specifically speak to us as Puertorriqueños.

How do you want people to feel when they see this mural?

I think that, ideally, I want people to feel that they are seen. I want people in that community specifically to know that they are visible. That they are worthy, that they are worthy of being celebrated, and that they are art. That they can be the subjects of art, that art can actually come and be a part of their community. They don’t have to always leave their community to experience that. I also want people who come to see the mural to understand the diversity and the experience of Puertorriqueños in the US. That we deserve art that celebrates us, and not just one or two pieces, but multiple pieces because we should not be relegated to tokenism. 

I also want viewers to recognize that there’s another way of looking at this kind of genre of superheroes—that they can come from our own perspective and that they can be used as tools for social justice and for equity, not just for corporate branding. I think that’s the mistake oftentimes that the corporatization of this genre has done, that this medium has done. It makes people think that this idea, this notion of superhero storytelling is simply that. It’s a genre, and I think if I’m an independent storyteller, I can use this genre to tell my stories. To use this as a tool to uplift people. 

What do you see next?

I see five more Mural Arts murals with La Borinqueña. Of course it’s important to have these murals in North Philly, but we need to have a La Borinqueña mural downtown! The entire city should see this. One of my favorite murals is the Julius Erving mural and it’s located in the Callowhill neighborhood, along the border of Chinatown. I mean, how dope is that?  It should be that a mural can be anywhere. I love the fact that Amy Sherald did Michelle Obama’s portrait, and that her mural can be seen when you’re driving through downtown Philly. This towering image that she created, I love that. I would love to see something that celebrates Puerto Rican heritage as you’re driving through downtown Philly, see one of these high rises like, “oh wow look at that beautiful image around Puerto Rican culture.” That’s what I would want next,  I want to see these murals in spaces that go beyond North Philly.  I think that’s important because I think in order for there to be true equity, we need to see humanity in all of ourselves. We need to see ourselves and if you don’t see me, how can you expect me to see you? 

What about a Bad Bunny mural, La Borinqueña style?

That would be dope! I think there are a lot of ideas, I think there is a lot of history. I’m looking at a comic book cover right now that’s in my office. It is an image of Young Lords marching through Philadelphia. It’d be amazing if there was a mural that showed that part of the history and if that was [located] in downtown Philly.

In the context of working with Mural Arts, I think that there’s so much more that can be done. It would be amazing if there was a an Augmented Reality app that Mural Arts had so when you went through Philadelphia, and you just had your smartphone or any other smart media, there would be this interactive kind of like experience that could be an interview with the artist or some documentary footage of the mural being made. I would like to see more opportunities to embrace new technology with the murals that are created.