Confluence of Care: New Mural at CRWD
Towering from the floor to nearly the ceiling, the large cistern in the lobby of Capitol Region Watershed District’s (CRWD’s) Watershed Learning Center is a central feature. The cistern collects rain from the building’s roof, flowing through noticeable blue pipes running across the building’s ceiling. The rainwater is filtered and treated to reuse around the site for flushing toilets, bottle washing, supplying the outdoor interactive Watershed exhibit and pond, and nourishing the gardens and trees.
This allows us to collect and reuse more rainwater while nourishing our gardens. This optimized rainwater-reuse system is one of the many sustainable features of our LEED v4 Gold certified Watershed Learning Center.
Now, the cistern centerpiece of our lobby features Confluence of Care, a vibrant mural by artist Christina Vang that depicts scenes from our watershed. It debuts as our newest permanent commissioned artwork and was installed in time for our celebratory opening of the We Are Water MN exhibit on April 23, 2026. The mural was printed on vinyl panels and carefully installed to wrap around the entire 3,000-gallon cistern.
At the exhibit opening, nearly 100 guests mingled while marveling at the mural’s beautiful details. Families and groups of friends gathered to take photos in front of the mural. CRWD Board Manager Hawona Sullivan Janzen introduced Christina Vang, who spoke about her work, her personal and cultural ties to water, and how they guided her while creating Confluence of Care. CRWD Administrator Anna Eleria, Dakota and Ojibwe Artist and Writer Tanáǧidaŋ Tó Wíŋ Tara Perron, Ramsey County Commissioner Mai Chong Xiong, and Falcon Heights Councilmember Paula Mielke also shared personal stories and reflections on the importance of water.
“The mural centers water as a living presence that sustains culture, community, and the land we share.” – Christina Vang
We were drawn to Christina’s style of colorful textures and collaged elements that come together in layered compositions. In a meeting with Christina about the cistern project we talked about what a watershed is and how our District’s boundaries are defined by where the water flows across the land. We discussed the varied work CRWD does, from monitoring to permits to public engagement, and how special it is that we are an urban watershed in a hugely diverse community. We shared our own relationships with water, formed by our families and cultures. Christina carried home a sense of understanding of our watershed and how the people of our District connect with and care for water.
Christina grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but now calls the Twin Cities home, both regions strongly tied to water. She designs and paints murals that scale buildings across the metro area and creates finely tuned design projects through her creative studio, La Bang. Christina describes her work as rooted in the vibrant tribal textiles of the Hmong people, influenced by Hip Hop culture, and reflective of her love of stories and the written word.
In turn, Confluence of Care incorporates the multiplicity of life that makes up our watershed — children exploring a waterway in a boat, a person fishing, a gardener planting roots in bare hands. Look closely, and you’ll see native plant species such as butterfly weed, common milkweed, and black-eyed Susan growing amongst the shoreline rocks. Animals found in our watershed that rely on clean water are found throughout the mural. A playful painted turtle on a rock, a northern leopard frog resting on a lily pad, a great blue heron silhouetted against the water, and dragonflies hovering, among other creatures. Textures of indigo-dyed batik from the artist’s Hmong heritage are embedded in the rocks. These are all references to the confluence of cultures and generations—families who come from different lands yet have been shaped by the local waters of this place.
“Together, these elements reflect water’s enduring role as a connector across time and place, calling for care as both an ancestral responsibility and a promise to future generations,” – Christina Vang.
Confluence of Care is on permanent view at CRWD. View it when you come to see the We Are Water MN exhibit, running through June 14, 2026.
Co-written by Sarah Peters, CRWD Watershed Artist in Residence, and Mary Van Sant, CRWD Communications Specialist.
About the artist
Christina Vang is a visual artist based in the Twin Cities. From murals that scale buildings across the Twin Cities and beyond to the finely tuned design projects she delivers through her creative studio, La Bang, her work vibrates with vivid color and dynamic, culturally inspired forms. Christina’s love of public art spans back to her youth. It is rooted in the vibrant tribal textiles of the Hmong people, influenced by Hip Hop culture, and reflects her connection to stories and the written word. After a decade of working in advertising, she founded La Bang Studio in 2016 to make design more accessible to the community, grassroots organizations, and small businesses by focusing on trust, value alignment, and relationship building as much as craft.
Christina aims to bring visibility to work rooted in cultural identity and social justice through design. She has partnered with organizations such as the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, Mixed Blood Theater, Springboard for the Arts, Loft Literary Center, Southeast Asian Resource Action Center, Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy, and John Michael Kohler Arts Center. Follow Christina’s work @labangstudio on Instagram or labangstudio.com.
