After various proposals from a number of artists and months of anticipation, the Caltrans Merced Mural Art Project is finally underway and can be seen in progress at a number of locations along many of the highway overpasses downtown.
For those who don’t know, this entire project is thanks to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s $1.1 Billion Clean California initiative, of which the City of Merced was awarded $350,000. This money was used to fund the Merced Mural Art Project, in which eight artists were selected from the community to create culturally informed works to both beautify the city and foster civic pride.
Murals are in progress at the following overpasses in downtown Merced:
- V Street & SR 99
- R Street & SR 99
- O Street & SR 99
- M Street & SR 99
- Canal Street & SR 99
- Martin Luther King Jr. Way & SR 99
- G Street & SR 99
- Yosemite Parkway & SR 99
“I hope people see artwork going up in Merced, because it is going to be so quick, and there is so much going on,” local artist and muralist Patricia Pratt told the Times. “I hope it generates inspiration for it to keep going, and for people to jump on board and just start painting things. Don’t wait for [government] contracts, just go for it, and paint things. It was exciting and really fun thinking of imagery that represents Merced.”
Pratt is the artist behind the mural on the Martin Luther King Jr. Way undercrossing. She is a Merced native, longtime artist, and a major pillar in the city’s growing art scene. Notably, she is the creator of Kreepy Kawaii store and art gallery in downtown Merced. While her piece has not been given an official name, it has been referred to as “Strawberry Fields.”
Martin Figueroa, the artist responsible for the mural under the Canal St. overpass, hopes his work will inspire young artists in the community to believe that anything is possible.
“When you think that you don’t got it, just keep practicing,” Figueroa said.
He says the same thing to his own children, who are also aspiring artists. A special fun fact about his mural, titled “Chasing Your Dreams,” is that the models for the three silhouettes depicted in the mural are in fact his children: Bella, Jake and Connor.
Joel Aguilar, also known as “Gamut,” is the artist behind the Mural along M street at Highway 99. Aguilar is also responsible for a number of other works in the area. These works include the Trevino’s restaurant mural, and the Martin Luther King mural on MLK Jr. Way. At the moment, the new M Street mural does not have a name, but he says that he is open to recommendations.
When asked about the meaning of his mural, Aguilar said, “I wanted to pay tribute to the hard-working field workers — the campesinos — who are working 24/7, in crazy weather and ridiculous times. This work is done in the spirit of the campesino, you know, when you’re working a job that you’re just trying to get through and are just on autopilot. I myself have worked jobs that I hate, and I’m just going through the motions, but at the same time I am daydreaming.”
Aguilar went on to explain that his reasoning behind including a prominently placed hummingbird in his piece, is that, in his culture, they symbolize good luck and represent loved ones reaching out and communicating that they are there for you.
If you would like to find more information regarding this project and the artists behind it, you can visit the City of Merced’s website at: www.engage.cityofmerced.org.