Limited First Edition 2010 CRP Photo Anthology NOW AVAILABLE!

As the year closes, we have decided to create a limited edition 2010 Year in Murals book called Rejuvenation featuring professional photography by Peskador and Daniel D. Zarazua among others. Get to know the Community Rejuvenation Project through 80 pages of beautiful murals, behind-the-scenes stories, and works in progress. Only 500 copies of the first edition will be printed. We are currently accepting pre-orders for the book. Books ordered by Dec. 19 should be delivered by X-mas. We will send you a copy of the book with any donation of $50 or more.

Rejuvenation 2010

Kilumbo Warriors Mural in Honor of the Protesters Struggling for Justice for Oscar Grant

We arrived at 10 AM to start the mural. The parking lot gates were chained up and the space was full of garbage. The area in front of the wall was overgrown and we had to watch carefully for needles and glass as we cleared the brush to access the wall. A man who was walking by saw our struggle with the huge weeds, jumped the fence with a knife and proceeded to cut down the larger stalks that our tools couldn't handle. The morning was overcast but not showing any signs of rain as we began to prime in the sky and mountains.

We had a instinct that history would repeat itself and Johannes Mehserle, the BART officer / killer of Oscar Grant would be given a light sentence. The theme of Kilumbo (or Quilombo in the European spelling) resonated with us. For the two years since Oscar Grant was murdered on the Fruitvale station, the people of Oakland had stood up and fought for justice. BART, the police and the city government had proven indifferent, if not defensive, and refused to act without prodding. Each small victory, such as the resignation of Gary Gee, the BART police commissioner, and even getting Mehserle a trial had required numerous loud protests, often resulting in at least 100 arrests at each stage. Every police officers' association had contributed to Mehserle's defense in order to maintain their hold.

Kilumbos were the communities of African runaway slaves and indigenous people that were founded in Brazil. In addition, we wanted to make connections between the other autonomous African / indigenous communities in the Americas and the traditional African tribes located in their motherland. We wanted Oakland to remember that such societies existed in the face of brutal repression and ongoing genocide and that Oakland should not give up hope.

We left for an hour to meet with some youth to plan the next day's mural. Even though the sentence was not to be announced until 2 PM, we saw students walking out from school at 1:30 telling us that Mehserle has received 2 years with credit for time served. We drove through 14th and Broadway and saw the police amassing. Arriving back at the wall a few blocks away, we knew that we would not leave until we were done. As we parked, the police helicopters arrived and we painted into the evening under the loud rattle of their propellors. Yet around 6 or 7 PM, the helicopters left and as the sun went down there was an eerie silence. Around 8:30, it became clear that the light in the lot would not turn on and it was too dark to continue painting. We made arrangements to meet the next day and put on the finishing touches. Painting all afternoon, we had been disconnected from the updates and wondered what was going on.



On the way home, we detoured up Telegraph and saw a huge crowd of hipsters partying away at the Oakland Fart Murmur like nothing had happened. Returning back downtown, we saw a huge mass of police at 14th and Broadway, yet people were heading out to the clubs and bars in apparent amnesia. No signs of protest could be found. We made our way around the lake wondering what had happened. Had Oakland just packed it up in a hopeless state of dispair? It seemed unlikely given the resiliency of the people but where was everybody? Then we saw the familiar helicoptors flashing its light into the community. Excited, we began to chase it. We drove up 5th Ave. and made a right on 17th Street and founded ourselved blocked off. The police had cordoned off 6th Ave and directed us to turn right. I drove slowly trying to see what was going on. Just then, the fire truck and the ambulance came flying towards us and we were forced to back up. The backdoors of the ambulance opened and police officer was wheeled on a gurney and placed inside. By then, the police directing traffic forced us to move on. All the streets on 18th were blocked off. We had to detour all over the place to return to my house, which further complicated by the neighborhoods stupid cul-de-sacs and blocked off streets. We were treated to the helicoptor's rattling propellors until 1 AM. At my house, we learned the cop had been hit by another cop car and that 152 protestors were surrounded without exit or opportunity to disperse and arrested.

We returned to the wall late the next day after completing a school mural with the youth we had meet with. It was quiet and sunny and the wall looked beautiful. Details we had missed in the darkness now appeared in the light. We completed our touch-ups and disappeared into the town.

350.org Mural on 10-10-10

A community rejuvenation Project from Mike Melero on Vimeo.

New San Francisco Alley Murals

In the past week, CRP founder Desi W.O.M.E has created 3 new murals in the alleys of the Mission District. In the last post, we documented his piece created as part of the international Meeting of Styles. During the event, San Francisco legend CUBA invited Desi to create a new piece in the historic Clarion mural alley, between Mission and Valencia just passed 17th St. Clarion Alley has been a hub of mural artwork since the 1990s. CUBA was one of the original artists to paint the alley and has recently begun coordinating artists to continue to transform the space.

Following his mural in Clarion alley, Desi returned to Lilac alley and created another mural on a roll-down door next to his previous piece. This piece is a more traditional aerosol mask style.

CRP Founder Desi W.O.M.E representing at the International Meeting of Styles

The International Meeting of Styles is a series of weekend mural gatherings held in different cities throughout the globe. The MOS has held events on the west coast for several years now. However, or the first time, the MOS was be held at San Francisco at one of the most historic and famous places for mural art, the Mission district. CRP founder Desi WOME was invited to participate and created the mural above in a few hours on the first day of the event, on September 24. The event also featured painting by Bay Area legends, TDK Crew, WCF, and many more. Stay tuned for more photos in the days to come.

Diego's Power Alley Gym Mural

Story by Jill Replogle (http://www.jillrep.com)

Members of Diego’s Power Alley Gym, at the corner of Foothill Blvd. and Seminary Ave., already made the choice for a healthier life. Now the whole community has a vision of strength and health, brightening the neighborhood outside the gym.

The Community Rejuvenation Project recently turned the gym’s void outer wall into a portrait of health—physical, mental and spiritual. A native Aztec dancer, a man meditating in lotus pose and a Zulu nobility, expression proud, chest and arms powerful, have replaced the pale yellow wall of Diego’s. The mural was created by Desi WOME, Dave Kim, and youth apprentice Leo Delgado and other CRP volunteers.

As the mural took shape, neighbors stopped by to check out progress on the wall, and thank the artists for bringing color to the neighborhood which, one man said, is plagued by a lot of “dark things going on.”

It’s easy to guess at the neighborhood’s problems by the empty, boarded-up storefronts and ubiquitous metal gates, locking up homes, lots and businesses. With an unemployment rate of over 17%, economic recovery still on shaky ground, and public services declining rapidly, East Oakland could use some brightness on its horizon.

A mural may not solve the neighborhood’s problems, but it’s one step toward rejuvenating the community, and opening minds to the possibilities for healthy change.

Rejuvenating the Garden

Video, Story, and Slideshow by Desi W.O.M.E

The City Slickers truck arrived exactly at 11 AM laden with a huge pile of fresh steaming compost, a wheel barrow, and a pile of tools. The garden at the Oakland Green Youth Arts and Media Center had fallen into neglect and was looking shabby. Center staff arrived at the same time with a soft rumble of discontent, reflecting that it was an hour earlier than their normal schedule. "I'm here because he [Galen Peterson, OGYAMC Co-Director], made me show up," said performing artist and youth staff member, Olondis "O-zone" Walker.

The morning was still overcast as Julie Pavuk of City Slickers Farms began to explain the goals for the day. The entire garden was getting a facelift. Each of the 13 raised beds would be given a fresh layer of compost, new starters would be planted, and the group would build a worm bin. Within a few weeks, the garden would be producing fresh organc vegetables ready to eat. Julie introduced Joseph, who will mentor the group and oversee support for the center's young gardeners throughout the year.

Access to healthy food has burgeoned into a major issue throughout Oakland's flatlands, such as west Oakland, home to City Slickers, where there is one grocery store to serve over 25,000 people. Health food has been a particular challenge, because mono-cropped produce grown with pesticides are consistently being sold at below market rates while organic produce has remained expensive and is looked at as an exclusive product for a new population of wealthy residents. Breaking down these barriers, both real and perceptual, has been an impressive challenge for food-justice advocates. Probably the clearest example of this phenomenon is in West Oakland, where the Mandela Marketplace was recently opened next to the 99 Cent store. Despite having competitive prices for healthy alternatives, Mandela Marketplace has struggled to gain a foothold with longtime residents. However, many white West Oakland recent transplants, a symbol for many of the neighborhood's gentrification, have already begun frequenting the store.

The sun came out shortly before Matthew Linzner arrived with two youth from his Love Cultivating Schoolyards program. Matthew has been working at Ascend k-8 School and Urban Promise Academy through Oakland Leaf for the past 5 years. The youth that joined him were both Interns of the youth leadership program and ready to bring their knowledge back to the community. "Both of these guys have the skills to take over and manage a garden. They are ready to train and mentor aspiring farmers." The two young men busied themselves by drilling drainage holes for the new worm bin.

Earlier the same day, on the KPFA morning show, Jason Harvey, founder of the Oakland Food Connection, estimated that 30 - 40% of Oakland's produce could be grown locally, if its abandoned lots were used for localized gardens. OFC has been supporting local gardens in east Oakland in a similar way that City Slickers has been in the west. In some cases, this includes reclaiming some of the abandoned lots left vacant by their owners for many years. Cultivating food locally is the one of the ways to reduce the cost of healthy produce and since the lots are not being used for anything, they provide the perfect locations for local gardens.

Back at the Oakland Green Youth Arts and Media center, an hour's worth of work produced a notable difference. The youth's grumbles have been replaced by the steady banter of people deeply engaged in their work. City Slickers produces dozens of starters cultivated in their greenhouse from the back of their truck and the young men carefully loosen the sod around their roots as they place them in shallow holes in the raised beds. Joseph guides them and explains that the plants will need to drenched in water once a day for the next two weeks if they are to survive. Several questions are raised about proper care for the young plants and the youth seem genuinely engaged in their new project.

Its garden education programs like this that make local urban farms sustainable. Like the plants themselves, it takes time for the programs to take root. The Community Rejuvenation Project recently reclaimed an abandoned lot by Mills College on the corner of Seminary and MacArthur. The newly renamed Life Garden was started by youth in CRP's Arrow-Soul Council, an after-school program at Unity High School, along with Oakland activists and artists from the collective. CRP recognized immediately that maintaining the garden was beyond their capacity and turned the space over to nearby neighbors. However, reclaiming space is central to the collective's mission and their appetite for transforming lots was not satisfied. CRP has reached out to several food-justice organizations to build a support network of farmers to help train local residents in community gardening as more sites are reclaimed. They are applying for funding to bring together the aforementioned groups along with other likeminded organizations such as Grind for the Green, Women's Earth Alliance, and the Land and Life Garden to support an ongoing collaboration. They intend to start with a food justice mural on People's Grocery and continue with a series of projects to bring awareness to urban gardens and food equity.

Back at the center, just after 1 pm, the group quickly circled up to review plans for watering and garden maintenance. Food justice begins in these humble spaces with just few raised beds, new starts nestled in some fresh compost and a small cohort of fledgling gardeners.

Live Painting at Fresh Fest (Mosswood Park, Oakland)

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Get your own

Photos by Mike Melero. Story by Jasmine Sherren.


Community Rejuvenation Project is a unified expression of energy through public art. On Saturday August 14, Desi W.O.M.E., CRP founder and muralist,
and Dave Kim, longtime CRP volunteer and artist, hauled three 8"x10"
canvases on an enormous bamboo frame by hand to North Oakland's
Mosswood Park of the day of Fresh Fest.

Why did they do this? To educate the public on a serious local issue:
Oakland's rising rates of asthma, primarily in West Oakland.
The artists spent many hours painting these canvases to create awareness
about the Toxic Triangle in Richmond, Bayview and West Oakland.
Hopefully these efforts will lead the city to begin the necessary
change in West Oakland.

What is a city without its citizens at their strongest, where many
remain ignorant of the problems, and others must face them in their own
backyard? It is a city in crisis, and the first step in eliminating crisis
is education and understanding. Clearly these artists did not work in
vain.

CRP Featured on Oakland North with Legendary Muralists Estria and Dan Fontes

Oakland murals color the urban jungle from Jill Replogle on Vimeo.

Audio and Photos compiled by Jill Replogle and Malia Connor for Oakland North

Ancestors and Native Wildflowers at E. Oakland Mural Dedication

video by Mike Melero

Ancestors and Native Wildflowers at E. Oakland Mural Dedication
by Jess Watson

Last Saturday, volunteers converged on a vacant lot at Seminary and Macarthur to install as a native wildflower garden under the benevolent gaze of the freshly painted Egyptian deity Ptah Hotep. The event marked the completion of a large-scale mural along the back of the lot on the theme of black and brown unity, co-designed and executed by Unity High School students, the Community Rejuvenation Project (CRP), and neighborhood activists.

The mural was organized by Unity High School's Arrow-Soul Council afterschool program teacher Desi W.O.M.E, a founder of the Community Rejuvenation Project. He says, “It's all about mentorship, giving kids a safe space to create their first works and develop their own individual style. We talk a lot about history and context before designing the mural together.” The theme of black and brown unity was inspired by the Oakland Museum's recent exhibit The African Presence in México and was enriched through consultation with local activists and artists.

Unity Lewis, a neighborhood activist and hip hop artist who contributed to the mural's conceptualization, was thrilled with the final results: “I feel like it's really an amazing piece with powerful energy jumping off it because it's been blessed with the spirit of the ancestors and energy of the young retelling the tale so we don't forget our history. I see that mural every day. I've been over there and prayed over there. It's helping raise the consciousness in the community, as people discuss who the figures are and the meaning behind it. I hope we can use the space for some powerful community events in the future.”

The garden beds were created out of discarded boards and iron rebar found in the lot, supplemented by community donations of soil, compost and seeds. Local businesses provided access to water, and volunteers hauled bucket after bucket the fence.

Leo Delgado, a Unity High junior who painted parts of the mural's sunset and temple, talked about why he came back to install the garden: “This mural is important to me because we have worked really hard and put a lot of effort into caring for the community. The garden is important because it shows how we all come together to make our community a better place.”

The Community Rejuvenation Project (http://crpbayarea.org/) is an Oakland-based nonprofit targeting blight and neglect by creating murals to celebrate the local community and reflect neighborhood culture. CRP's model combines mural painting with the installation of native, drought-resistant gardens and healthy food distribution. The murals become a focal point for neighborhood cohesion through CRP's block parties thrown at each mural dedication in collaboration with the nonprofit Roots and Branches. Block parties always include hip hop performances, live aerosol art, and healthy food. CRP's next summer block party is this weekend - Saturday July 17th from 12-4 pm at Matilda Cleveland Transitional Housing at 8314 MacArthur Blvd. Come on down!

Parkway Funk Brings the People

(originally printed in Oakland Local)
By David Kim

It was old school fun under a blazing sun on Saturday as more than 300 community members showed up in support of the Town Funk Summer Block Party near the Parkway Theater.

Neighbors partied and danced in the street, as part a celebration of their community and the inauguration of the new Funktown Arts District. It was the first time since the Parkway Speakeasy theatre closed that Park Blvd has seen this much action.

Park Blvd. was filled with fantastic fun which included live hip-hop and reggae music from a range of artists, free food for everyone, and a massive jumper for the kids.

Midway through the event, the dance area was taken over by dozens of colorful scrapper bikes, which had paraded all the way from 73rd Ave, Led by Baby Champ, "the Original Scrapper Bike King," the crew proceeded to perform several scrapper bike anthems.

Neighborhood artists Rocker T and Jern Eye culminated the afternoon after DJ Zeph tore the house down with an incredible Michael Jackson tribute mash-up that had the crowd dancing.

The party, part of an ongoing effort to unite the local community and Oakland at large, was a collaboration between a diverse group of local organizations and churches which included; Regeneration, Trybe, Lake Merritt Business Association, Lake Neighbors, Roots and Branches, Woodys Cafe, Lotus Bloom; Beats, Rhymes and Life, and Community Rejuvenation Project.

Many at the event said the party was a fantastic demonstration of community love.

"I think it's good for Oakland. The city needs more events like this," said Lisa O’Brien, a parent of one of the Future Shock dancers, who also performed.

Besides good music and food, the party also featured a live aerosol painting on Yuens Automotive by the Community Rejuvenation Project, which has recently begun transforming the neighborhood with several murals in the immediate vicinity of the event. The new murals have led the community to rename the area "the Funktown Arts District," depicted in colorful images of musicians and artists on the automotive shop. Around the corner, guest artist and San Diego master muralist, Mario Toredo, painted a large colorful portrait.

"The Community Rejuvenation Project believes that the solution to neighborhood blight and neglect is community involvement and engagement, through cultural artwork and community celebration. The Town Funk block party is a perfect example of this," said Desi W.O.M.E, the program's founder and director.

The Community Rejuvenation Project (CRP) cultivates healthy communities through beautification, education, and celebration. The group achieves this mission through experiential programs that promote professional development, artistic and cultural expression, and community empowerment.

CRP recently inaugurated the Martin Luther King Cultural Corridor with a series of murals between West Grand Ave. and 28th St. on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The group is currently completing a large mural on Mills Grocery at Seminary and MacArthur and transforming an abandoned lot next to the wall into a community garden with local high school students.

Town Funk SlideShow and Video by Mike Melero

Beautiful Response to our Oakland Celebrations mural

Greetings;

I visited your site today; as I work in the fields of community development/ cultural activism, I'm always inspired by Arts movement and social change. I noticed upon your site the video entitled above, containing images from the group, Fogo Na Roupa Grupo Canvalesco, founded by the late Carlos Aceituno [transitioned 2006], for which I was a member and Associate Director: '91-'07.

The giant heads featured in your mural were worn by our Bateria, and that year was in honor of our Master Teacher, Cultural Activist and good friend
Ta Malonga Casquelourd [transitioned 2003] co-founder of Congolese Dance & Drum Culture on the West Coast, pioneering living legacies such as Fua Dia Congo and Congolese Dance & Drum camps, both over 30 years old - I am thrilled and deeply moved!

What an honor and tribute to see such a celebratory year captured in your mural for perpetuity, as a cherished Oakland/Bay Area legacy such as Fogo Na Roupa, continues to be commemorated in a lasting way.

I'd also like to share this news with Community members of shared interest. Any photos or links, I'd gladly share with appropriate credits.

Do let me know,
continued Success!

Regina Califa Calloway
_________________________________
califa510 dance works! www.califa510.com

" where DANCE lives and SPIRIT moves...! "

Seminary and MacArthur Mural in Progress

The Arrow-Soul Council of Unity High School and the Community Rejuvenation Project kicked off a week of painting for the Council's final project of the school year, a massive community mural on the busy corner of Seminary and MacArthur. The youth from the Council created a sketch that depicts Brown and Brown unity throughout history and unites them in a common struggle for sovereignty and freedom. The sketch was approved by Mills Grocery owner, James Kim last week and the mural began on Wednesday, May 19.

Artists from the Community Rejuvenation Project showed up to support the youth's initiative and local community members are pitching in to transform the abandoned lot where the mural is located into a community garden and gathering space for meetings and music. Local neighbors will take over the maintenance of the lot once the mural is complete.

The next large community gathering to support the project will be on Sunday, May 30 from 9 AM until sundown. Roots and Branches founder DJ Basta will supply music and Arizmendi will supply several pizza. Bring seeds, soil, brushes and garden tools, but mainly, bring yourself!

Respeta Tonantzin Restore Balance.

(click on the image for a bigger picture)

This mural was done over the weekend. We had some special guests that brought a different flavor. Raven and Hyde have been regular collaborators throughout the years and it was great to reunite with them. Magda showed up from Stanford and rocked our brother Wiot's (RIP) style on the top of the mural. It was like having our brother with us again.

The theme of the mural was Respeta Tonantzin (Respect Mother Earth). With all of the disasters that have been happening, we recognize that human existence has shifted our planet into unbalance. Our prayer is for humans to find their inner balance and work to restore balance with nature on the planet. We thought that it was appropriate to paint this on Mother's Day weekend.

Arrow-Soul Council Final Mural Project

We have just gotten approval to create our final project for the Arrow-Soul Council after-school program at Mills Grocery on the corner of Seminary and MacArthur. Production starts next week!!

my new piece

I think that this time i did better than last time . I think that i was more prepared than the last time i painted in desi's class . This time i added more details and actually did my name. It was easier because i had practiced a little bit more at my house and i came with a better style. I could of done better but i need more can controll to do more details. the colors i like them i use light colors then i used 2 dark colors for outline and a pink aura to make it stand out. And next time i paint im going to do more details and do a cleaner style. It felt good because i did not mess up as much as my 1st piece.

Cron piece by Luis

This is my second piece that I have done here in Arrow Soul. This time it came out better because I had better hand control, but I still need to work on my can control if i wanna be a true master. I did a different word this time because i wanna make sure I am good at all the letters and not just 4.

PRESS RELEASE: The Community Rejuvenation Project Introduces the Martin Luther King Cultural Corridor

========== OAKLAND, CA - April 27, 2010 - On Sunday, April 25th, the Community Rejuvenation Project inaugurated the stretch from West Grand Avenue to 28th Street as the Martin Luther King Cultural Corridor, just three blocks from the latest homicide. With the completion of a mural honoring civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Dorothy Height, as well as Marcus Garvey, the founder of the Pan-African movement and philosophy, the organization created a series of four new murals to inspire peace and cultural pride. Martin Luther King Jr. Way has long been known for its violence and gang activity. It is one of the most heavily policed districts in the city. The Cultural Corridor includes five murals with content ranging from West Oakland celebrations to scrapper bikes to plant and animal life. "We chose Ghostown and the MLK Corridor for this project because of the dumping and extreme vandalism we noticed in the area. We hope this can be a catalyst for change in the community, and we want to create landmarks that people take pride in," says participating artist and Oakland resident Dave Kim. The Community Rejuvenation Project transforms blighted areas of the community through murals, community clean-up, landscaping, gardening, and community celebrations. The grassroots organization transform high target walls, routinely blighted areas, and abandoned lots and turn them into points of community pride. The former Foster's Freeze was major target for blight and vandalism before the Community Rejuvenation Project cleaned up the block and painted a mural on the building. During the last month while the project was being executed, the Community Rejuvenation Project also cleaned each of the blocks along the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Corridor, picking up over 15 full bags of garbage between West Grand and Sycamore. St. Over 20 volunteers participated in the project and a new partnership was created with St. Vincent de Paul, a nonprofit organization providing direct assistance to needy men, women and children in the area. This partnership will allow CRP to implement the newest component of the CRP's initiatives, an on-site breakfast program at its murals. For more information or high-resolution photos, please visit our website at www.communityrejuvenationproject.org Four bags of trash and "Love, Art, and Music Are The Universal Language" adorn the corner of 25th and MLK where are fence barricades a park closed by the city because it was haven for drug use.

No Gang Injunctions

Here is a banner that was created by youth in the Arrow-Soul Program to voice their opposition to the City Attorney's proposed Gang Injunctions in North Oakland. It will be displayed at a protest at the Alameda County Courthouse today!

Reflections from a New Volunteer

Mercedes and Wren rock the spot at 25th and MLK (Photo by Pancho Pescador)

Working on this mural was the first time I was part of an entire mural making process from the beginning to finish. I had taken a Mural Creation and Design course at Berkeley City College with the fabulous Xicana Muralist Juana Alicia Montoya. I participated more in developing the blueprint than getting my hands dirty in the printing process. I also it was my first aerosol mural, though the part I worked on was 50% hand brush and 50% spray can.

I wanted to participate in this project because I believe art and culture can be a tool for activism and activate minds to think more politically. Plus making art is always a beautiful thang, especially when made in a collective for the benefit of the community and not simply one individual. And contrary to “popular belief,” police, and government officials the neighbor was receptive to the aerosol art.

Folks would walk by and ask, “Y’all opening a restaurant?” We would reply, “Naw, just painting a mural.” During the experience I met a lot folks and engaged in different conversations with folks in around the block. My favorite was listening to the elders talk about the Frosty Freeze that once stood there and the construction of the freeway and all their personal stories of the neighborhood. My experience for the most part was positive, than of course there were people yelling at us on how to paint and what to include. But that was expected.

My assignment was simple. I kept telling Desi, “I can’t draw or paint.” But he didn’t care. I was given the job to paint a pattern along the top of the building. “Perfect,” I thought. Being that the mural was going to be in West Oakland-a predominately African American community and I being a Black person it only made sense to paint some kind of African rooted pattern. I chose to paint adrinka symbols from the Akan people of Ghana. Each black and red symbol holds a specific meaning and chosen specific from this neighborhood. Though majority of the residents in the area who will walk pass these symbols may not understand the meaning behind them, there’s still power in these and hopefully spark the curiosity of one individual to up look the meaning.

mercedes martin
april 19, 2010

25th and MLK Video Preview...

This is the PREVIEW of the 2nd video put out by our videographer Mike Melero. He also filmed and edited our short video of our summer pilot project.

This mural was the first of 4 murals that will be done in the new Martin Luther King Cultural Corridor that we are creating. These mural run primarily on Martin Luther King and 25th but will extend to Grand Ave. (the entrance to the corridor) and reach all the way to one of our older murals at 28th and MLK.

Personal Rejuvenation and Celebration- Mural Honoring My Grandmother

As a writer, it was important for me to acknowledge and celebrate the life of my grandmother, Bama. Writers always acknowledge transitions and important points in the lives of our family and extended family with paintings. I remember our brother Raven rocking the city with the names of each of his children when they were born.

This is a really sacred time for my grandmother. She is getting ready to take the journey back into the universe. I wanted to do something to honor her presence in my life that she could see while she is still here with us on earth. I painted this for her on Friday night and my dad showed her the photos this morning. She always asks me to sign my work and do something that she can read. I hear that she really liked it.

You can visit this mural at Park and 18th. We will be lighting candles there when she finally makes her journey. I am glad she was able to see this and honored to be able to share her life with you.

One Love.

Desi W.O.M.E

My name is Juan Velasco aka "CHE''1 my experince doing the canves was fun and aways a good opportonity to have better hand control and every time I do a canves i learn something new each time...

25th and MLK Fence - BEFORE

The plants and garbage we cleaned up filled four huge garbage bags.

Love, Art and Music are the Universal Language of 25th and MLK

Some Final Photos of 25th and MLK

Almost Complete!

25th & MLK continued

The mural is officially complete! We will post flicks of the completed mural soon. Until then these are some pictures taken over the course of project...

Check back soon!!

MLK and 25th // Day 1

Here are a few pictures at the new mural location. More photos and a lo-fi montage of the mural site coming soon, be sure to check back to be amazed by the beauty The Community Rejuvenation Project brings to some of the more grimy parts of town.



Day 1 was mostly filled with sketching out the general ideas and getting to know the people of the community, letting them know What we are doing? and Why we are here?

Martin's first piece

My name is Martin and it was my first time
spray painting by myself and it was kinda hard.
I learned a lot spray painting and I liked it. My fingers kinda
hurt but it was worth the experience I wouldn't mind doing it again though.
I learned how to clean up the lines to make them look better and getting better at spray painting. The things i would have done better was to put more designs in my pieces. Next time i spray paint i hope to have a lot more detail.