Sea Walls is an international public-arts program sponsored by the PangeaSeed Foundation, which has already created more than 400 murals in cities around the world. After this week’s transformation, Santa Cruz became an even more prolific location to spy urban art.
Big, bold, provocative urban murals are now an essential part of any major city’s visual vocabulary. And, as small cities go, Santa Cruz has always flexed its muscles in that department.
David Rice of Portland, Oregon, works on his “Shark Conservation” mural Monday off Front Street.
(Keivin Painchaud/ Lookout Santa Cruz)
But now, Santa Cruz’s murals game has taken a giant leap forward, to the point that it might rank among the elite showcase cities for murals on the West Coast. And it all happened overnight.
Technically, it all happened over four or five nights. That’s how long it took the ambitious Sea Walls Santa Cruz mural project to transform the city. Spearheaded by celebrated Santa Cruz muralist Taylor Reinhold, Sea Walls is an international public-arts program sponsored by the PangeaSeed Foundation, which has already created more than 400 murals in cities around the world.
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Santa Cruz artist Caia Koopman works on her “Ocean Acidification” mural at 730 Soquel Ave.
(Keivin Painchaud/ Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Santa Cruz artist Abi Mustapha is all smiles as she gets to work Monday.
(Keivin Painchaud/ Lookout Santa Cruz)
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David Rice of Portland, Oregon, works on his “Shark Conservation” mural Monday off Front Street.
(Keivin Painchaud/ Lookout Santa Cruz)
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North Carolina muralist Jeks One works on “Overfishing” on a wall of the Soquel/Front parking garage Monday.
(Keivin Painchaud/ Lookout Santa Cruz)
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A building at 142 River St. was the canvas Monday for Santa Cruz’s Jimbo Phillips.
(Keivin Painchaud/ Lookout Santa Cruz)
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The “Ocean Stewardship” mural rises Monday.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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A mural takes shape Tuesday on the wall of the Soquel/Front parking garage.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Abi Mustapha is still all smiles Tuesday as her mural takes shape.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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The artists painting at the Soquel/Front garage had a multi-level challenge.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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A mural takes shape Tuesday four stories up on the Soquel/Front parking garage.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Less than two days in, it was quite a transformation at the Soquel/Front garage.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Oakland’s Griffin One works off Mission Street on the Westside on Wednesday.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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It was a different take on masks, too, for the Sea Walls muralists.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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In the shadow of Mission Street’s busy traffic, a mural takes shape Wednesday.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Griffin One’s mural is a splash of color for folks heading toward Natural Bridges.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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The “Ocean Stewardship” mural by Austrian artist Nychos is closer to completion Thursday on the apartment complex at 1010 Pacific Ave.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Things are looking up in the alley Thursday in the alley behind the Soquel/Front garage.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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A drone captures Thursday’s progress at the Soquel/Front garage.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Abi Mustapha paints in details on her mural near Cathcart and Front streets.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Jimbo Phillips’ mural off River Street takes on his signature style Thursday.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Artists and activists gathered Thursday evening at the Tannery to talk about the Sea Walls project.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Santa Cruz native and project director Taylor Reinhold during Thursday’s gathering at the Tannery.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Santa Cruz activist and educator Rachel Kippen speaks during Thursday’s presentation at the Tannery.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Oakland artist Zoe Boston with her “Species at Risk” mural at 1827 Soquel Ave. on Friday.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Alexandra Underwood and Joey Rose of Emeryville put the finishing touches on “Endangered Local Marine Life” on Friday at the Santa Cruz Wharf.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Hanna Eddy’s “Ocean Stewardship” is one of two new murals at 1827 Soquel Ave.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Hanna Eddy, from Reno, Nevada, puts the finishing touches on her “Ocean Stewardship” mural Friday.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Los Angeles artist Shane Jessup’s “Oceans in Crisis” project near the corner of Soquel and Branciforte avenues.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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“Ocean Acidification” by San Francisco’s Max Ehrman adds to the murals in the shopping center at 41st Avenue and Capitola Road; Ehrman’s is just off 38th Avenue.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Max Ehrman works on “Ocean Acidification” on Friday in Capitola.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Griffin One’s “Endangered Local Marine Life” at 2335 Mission St. on Friday.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Santa Cruz’s Caia Koopman’s “Ocean Acidification” on Friday at 730 Soquel Ave.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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Caia Koopman takes care of the details on her mural at Soquel Avenue and Caledonia Street in Midtown.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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“Plastic Pollution” was the project for Oakland’s Madeleine Tonzi at 619 Soquel Ave.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
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(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
During the past week, Lookout’s staff photographer Kevin Painchaud has been tailing the invited muralists as they’ve painted eye-catching murals at sites all over Santa Cruz. They include well-known local artists like Abi Mustapha, Jimbo Phillips and Caia Koopman, and some of the buzziest names nationally.
Their mission was to create art that somehow called attention to the environmental threats faced by the world’s oceans, specifically how that issue might relate to Santa Cruz County.
Things are looking up in the alley Thursday in the alley behind the Soquel/Front garage.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
The results have been nothing short of astonishing, from flame-haired sea goddesses to enormous ruby-colored killer squids. In the coming days and weeks, Santa Cruzans will gradually discover this upgrade in public art, mural by mural.
We’d love to hear from you. Which are your favorites? What do you see in these prominent new paintings? What message do they leave you with? How do they enhance (or diminish) Santa Cruz’s urban landscape? Email us at news@lookoutlocal.com.
Wallace Baine is Lookout’s City Life Correspondent, covering arts, music and culture, as well as the people who make Santa Cruz and neighboring communities tick. He also writes “The Here & Now,” a periodic column that offers his take on the news of the day — and the news you’d otherwise miss.
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