The third mural in a city-funded project to bring public art to the community will finish in late April in downtown Palo Alto.
Elise DeMarzo, the Palo Alto public art program director, said the Public Art Program created this project after hearing feedback from merchants and community members.
“There’s been a lot of interest in murals in recent years,” DeMarzo said. “It’s a great way to revitalize downtown.”
Mountain View-based artist Harumo Sato is set to begin the third mural mid-April on the exterior wall of the All Saints Episcopal Church at 555 Waverley St. DeMarzo expects the mural will take about 10 days to complete.
DeMarzo said that to fund these murals, the budget comes from the city, which will maintain the murals for five years, after which property owners can decide whether to keep the murals.
“We usually budget about $50 a square foot,” DeMarzo said. “So, these projects range roughly between $11,000 and $17,000 individually.”
Artist Nigel Sussman’s mural at Pacific Art League at 668 Ramona St. and Mona Caron’s mural at Mac’s Smoke Shop at 534 Emerson St. are already complete.
Sussman’s mural, Palo Alto Discoveries, lines the alley wall of Pacific Art League in bold graphic illustrations of items that are significant to the building’s history.
Caron’s mural, Dirca Occidentalis, features large Western Leatherwoods, a local flower, over an all black background. According to Palo Alto’s public art program the mural highlights the presence and resilience of local flora in urban settings.
Aly Gould, executive director at the Pacific Art League, stated in an email that when the city reached out to her, agreeing was an easy decision.
“People stop to watch the progress, take photos and then come inside to ask about our gallery and classes,” Gould wrote. “It’s really become a wonderful community gathering point.”
Gould indicated that Pacific Art League’s involvement in the mural consisted of choosing an artist and collaborating on the final design.
“Nigel Sussman is an incredible artist who put a lot of research into the project,” Gould said. “He did a fantastic job, and we feel very honored to have his artwork on the side of our building and as part of Pacific Art League’s history.”
Sussman said that the purpose of his mural was to bring joy and color to downtown while optimistically documenting Palo Alto’s history through imagery rooted in deep local research.
“Once you put all of these random things together, it [the mural] becomes a unique story,” Sussman said.
One detail painted in the mural references a cabinetmaker’s son who played the violin in the tower of an old cabinet shop every evening, becoming a local celebrity.
“It’s kind of interesting how important that [the violinist’s music] was at the time,” Sussman said. “Nobody remembers that at all. This mural is a little bit of a reminder, even though it’s not the full story. The picture of that might be enough to spur someone into wanting to learn more.”
According to DeMarzo, this project has been in the works for a couple of years, beginning when the city sent out a call for private businesses downtown to offer wall space for a mural.
The project’s success has sparked interest in adding more murals to California Avenue, where DeMarzo said she has had positive discussions with the property owners.
“We probably will circle back to California Avenue again at some point soon to gauge interest in hosting more murals,” DeMarzo said.