If you haven’t seen the 600-foot-long mural in progress along Mission Street at Bay View Elementary School – check it out!
Through a collaboration between the City of Santa Cruz / Santa Cruz City Arts, Santa Cruz City Schools, Clean Ocean’s International, the Tim Brauch Foundation and the Fresh Walls Collective–led by local artist Taylor Reinhold—the grand-scale mural has begun!
Initially conceived by Jim “Homer” Holm, founder of Clean Oceans International, and Taylor Reinhold— the City was contacted last year for permission to do a mural along that wall. Through a process of discovery, the City realized that the School District owned the wall.
Bay View Elementary staff and the Superintendent’s Office were brought into the conversation and the Santa Cruz City School Board unanimously approved the project in February 2018.
“The time to raise awareness about the Pacific Ocean plastic epidemic is now!” said Jim “Homer” Holmes, Founder of Clean Oceans International.
The City of Santa Cruz has contributed $20,000 through the City Arts Mural Matching Grant program and helped with permits and contracts. The School District has contributed in-kind funds already set aside for maintenance of the wall along.
The Newman Foundation has committed funds and the artists have raised several thousand through small fundraising efforts—BUT hoping that the Community will get behind this project and donate at their Go Fund Me page at: www.GoFundMe.com/CleanOceansMural This will help offset the costs of the mural and ensure that the artists can complete it at the grand scale and detail originally envisioned.
Lead Artist, Taylor Reinhold, grew up in Santa Cruz and enjoys tremendous respect from local and international mural artists. He has worked in dozens of schools in Watsonville and with Mariposa’s Arts to teach mural skills and also to help at-risk youth funnel their energies in more positive ways. Taylor’s own personal story resonates with youth — and the positive impact he has made on hundreds of youth in Santa Cruz is immense.
Fresh Walls Project is a small art minded group of folks that focus their projects and efforts around community and environmental sustainability. Support your local artist!
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For further information contact City Arts Program Manager Beth Tobey at [email protected] or Lead Artist, Taylor Reinhold at [email protected]
