Our New Murals Are a Vibrant Connection of “Land, Water, and People”

Community
Equity

June 23, 2026

A painted wall mural depicting a diverse group of happy children in a Northwest setting. — *The new murals by Nofo Porter and Leslie Khounsmombath at PSESD's Renton office beautifully bring our cultural heritage and commitments to life.*

There's a common saying that "A picture is worth a thousand words." Here at PSESD, we decided to add two pictures to bring to life a visual depiction of our End: “We co-create just and humanizing educational communities where every student thrives and succeeds, benefiting future generations."

As a result, the lobby at our main PSESD Renton office now features two beautiful new wall murals by artists Nofo Porter and Leslie Khounsombath, who collaborated to transform those words into vibrant images.

Both murals created by Nofo and Leslie connect to land, water, and people. This is instantly apparent in the paintings themselves—the first mural depicts a smiling, diverse group of young people who show pride in their caps and gowns, lives, and accomplishments—each surrounded by the flowers, mountains, and natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. In the second mural, children laugh and run joyfully beside fields and rivers, surrounded by the fruits and blossoms of the Pacific Northwest, with Tahoma/Mount Rainier in the background.

Powered by Cultural Diversity

As they began to plan their murals, both Nofo and Leslie wanted to create something that felt "powered by cultural diversity, authenticity, and joy without feeling gimmicky," Nofo said. Together, the two artists drafted a design that connected to the hearts and voices of the PSESD staff, that would also be something they hoped that children and students would want to look at, and that would make them feel at home.

"My favorite part about these murals is that parts of it looks like a children's book, like a world kids can be completely safe and free in," said Nofo Porter, one of the two artists.

For Lesie, the mural was a chance to make a personal statement as a first-generation Lao American. “While creating this mural, it was important to me to represent myself, my friends, and my ancestors,” said Leslie. “So that maybe, a little Leslie walking through the lobby, will feel that they belong.”

A painted wall mural depicting diverse and happy school graduates in a Northwest setting.

Cultural and Tribal Significance

Each of the murals consciously reflects the fact that our PSESD office sits on the ancestral Duwamish Village of skoh-AHL-koh, a historic tribal gathering site whose name translates as "confluence"—the convergence of the Green and Black Rivers. PSESD's physical spaces reside on the traditional lands of the Duwamish, Muckleshoot Indian, and Puyallup Tribes, all of whom historically lived throughout the Black, Cedar, Green, Puyallup, and White River Watersheds. The presence of rivers in both murals offers a literal visual connection across the lobby space and metaphorical one for PSESD’s work across the region.

Program Specialist Thuy Mack works the front desk at PSESD, so she had a front-row seat for the mural creation process. She was honored to be able to see the process from design to outline to final paintings. "I loved seeing the different ethnicities and cultures of the children," Thuy commented. "It reminded me of my childhood, walking to school with all of my friends. The faces in the murals show laughter, happiness, and togetherness in the community, and they warmed my heart with the joy of good memories."

Maintenance Custodial Manager Bill Ingraham helped to make sure the mural space was prepared for the artists, and he found the process—and the finished paintings—inspiring. “Transforming our lobby with this mural has been an incredible process of aligning our physical space with our core values,” said Bill. “It honors the diverse faces of our community while grounding us in deep gratitude for the ancestral lands. Both artists showed immense attention to detail and are true assets to the community they serve. I deeply appreciate their vision and the incredible art they have shared with our Agency.”

Here at PSESD, supporting and co-creating with students and school districts is our main work. Our students and their families come from many different cultural backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and languages, and the new murals represent that.

“Creating this mural was an act of representing myself, my family, and the ancestors who came before me," said Leslie, summing up her experience. "As you view this, I hope that’s what you feel, too.”

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