With the goal of shining light on her heritage, Lucinda “La Morena” Hinojos sent her proposal to the NFL to become the ticket designer and muralist for the Super Bowl LVII. Now, she’s the first-ever Chicana and Indigenous female artist designing for the nation’s most anticipated sporting game event.
Once given the call of a lifetime, Hinojos started the creative process. In just 14 days, she designed the Super Bowl LVII artwork that beautifully showcases key symbols representing the culture and history of the Grand Canyon State.
On the ticket design, the bright warm pink and orange Arizona sky draws viewers to the center of the piece where the scenic White Tank Mountains are reflected on the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Mountains are painted behind State Farm Stadium, where the Super Bowl LVII will be hosted on Sunday, February 12.
Hinojos infuses her passion for uplifting underrepresented communities of color within her artwork. A Fancy Shawl and Azteca dancers are depicted on top of the mountains to pay homage to Arizona’s Indigenous tribes. A hummingbird flies through the design, which was inspired by Hinojos’s culture’s belief that when a loved one passes they come back as a hummingbird.
“For me, this is a really huge deal because not many people know that here in Arizona we have 22 tribes, nor do they even know the land that we’re on, so with everything that I’m doing with this painting, it ties into those elements,” Hinojos tells Forbes. “This painting represents celebrating the Super Bowl, but at the same time, it’s also honoring both of my cultures, the Chicano culture and my Indigenous culture.”
In addition to designing the coveted game-day tickets, Hinojos organized the painting of a 9,500-square-foot Super Bowl LVII mural with other Indigenous artists that is located on the side of the Monarch Theatre off Washington Street between First and Second Streets in Downtown Phoenix.
Hinojos also partnered with Wilson to design a football reflective of her personal artistic journey and how much heritage and community influenced her life. The Wilson Duke football is now available for the public to purchase on Wilson’s website.
To view more of Hinojos’s artwork click this link and follow her on Instagram @lamorena_art.
