Carlos Barboza’s oil on canvas of his father. (Courtesy Carlos Barboza) taking off. His murals, now on both interior and exterior walls, are all over Yukon and numerous other Oklahoma locations. Unveiled on December 5, 2021, Barboza’s mural on the new 30,000-square-feet Homeland grocery store, located on the corner of Northeast 36th Street and Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City May 2019 and he quickly began working with the near the Oklahoma State Capitol, proved to be a chamber board. As a result, the nonprofit Friends of life-changing experience for the artist. The project Yukon’s Best Inc. commissioned Barboza to paint was commissioned by The Alliance for Economic a mural in front of Yukon’s iconic grain elevators Development of Oklahoma City in collaboration with on Route 66. Barboza created a masterpiece that the City of Oklahoma City. Barboza describes that depicts Yukon’s history. “I found an old post card the endeavor involved 37 production days and 200 about the train coming through Yukon. It’s my cans of spray paint. favorite part of the mural. It’s a call back to the Barboza’s Homeland mural is one of the largest people who started this town.” art projects undertaken in northeast Oklahoma City “Putting that wall together. Three weeks of painting in recent history. “This mural only includes African all day every day. I really enjoyed it. I would watch American people,” Barboza says. “I began in early the trains go by. It was fun. It was easy. It was a joyful October 2021 and finished late November that experience overall.” same year. It was about 1 ½ months of work, and it With more and more of his murals drawing is the biggest mural I’ve ever done. But it is actually attention across the area, Barboza’s career began three murals, with one mural on the front and two more, one on each side of the building. I talked to the people who shopped. I have never before seen people cry when they saw my work. But they cried when they saw my project.” Barboza explains that while he received some direction on the Homeland project, it was his idea and his design. “It was a very emotionally-charged project for me. I’ve never painted many people of color. I want to do more projects like this and try to somehow put a spotlight on other people.” “Charles Bukowski,” 30''x40'', Acrylic on canvas. (Courtesy Carlos Barboza) 66