32 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 20-26, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com ART Three Highway 101 underpasses in Salinas’ Alisal neighborhood now boast refreshed murals thanks to a project financed by the California Department of Transportation and the Clean California Program, with a little bit of help from the city. “The existing murals were beaten up,” says Arsenio Baca, one of the members of La Neta Murals, a local muralist team that, last year, submitted a winning proposal to revive the mural at the underpass on Alisal Street. “It had graffiti on it.” La Neta’s hope was to make the whole mural complex cohesive. Baca says that one of the existing murals by Jesus Leon was full of ancient Mexican references. It contained an Aztec calendar that had been covered when someone threw a bucket of paint on it. “We brought it back to life,” Baca says. On the other side of the street, there was—and is—a mural by Arturo Bolaños, a historical portrait of locals, Indigenous people and immigrants, battling hostile forces. “It’s very cool and the community seems to love it,” Baca says. “It was already very nice, but now the colors have come back.” Their goal was to capture everything that is important to Salinas— farmworkers in the fields, the exchange of knowledge between the youth and the elderly, Mayan hieroglyphs, a local Esselen creation story that involves a coyote, a girl and a hummingbird. The crew also portrayed gods of agriculture and water, following their Latin-Mexican heritage. “We wanted something big,” Baca says about the gigantic, proud faces they painted. “Something to draw people’s attention to.” A budget of $100,000 was allocated for the Alisal Street underpass, where La Neta cleaned up the existing murals and made their own additions. Another $280,000 was designated for original work by Los Angeles muralist Timothy Robert Smith at Sanborn Road, and $300,000 for East Market Street, painted by the Santa Rosa couple Joshua and MJ Lawyer. The La Neta crew—Sea Sevilla, Avelino Sanher, Gerardo Zambrano, Natalia Corazza and Baca—have been working together for three years now. They have a system of work, moving from outline to color filling to detail. Baca is particularly proud that despite the heavy sun and traffic, they managed to finish the project on time. “We took care of business,” Baca reports, on behalf of La Neta. Now, they’re moving on to another big mural project in the Salinas Valley. DANIEL DREIFUSS The Murals are Served Go for an artsy joyride in Salinas, where three Highway 101 underpasses now boast new and refurbished murals. By Agata Pop˛eda The local group La Neta Murals was one of three grant recipients for highway underpass art. A reference to the Esselen creation myth is now brightly depicted at Alisal Street. 10% OFF your order with this ad Valid until 7/31/2023 Taste of the World sweet & savory crepes • paninis • bagels • tea • 11th Hour coffee THE CRÉPERIE CAFÉ THE CRÉPERIE CAFÉ THE CRÉPERIE CAFÉ THE CRÉPERIE CAFÉ THE CRÉPERIE CAFÉ @ @ @ @ @ 1123 Fremont Blvd, Seaside 831-901-3900 Mon–Fri 7am–4pm (Sat & Sun 8am–4pm) Explore our expanded coffee menu featuring drinks from around the globe • Café Bombon (Spain) • Lagrima (Argentina) • Turmeric Latte (India) • Yuanyang (Hong Kong) • and more! Sun - Thurs 12PM– 8PM Fri & Sat 11AM – 9PM 720 BROADWAY AVE. SEASIDE Call 831-899-1762 to order DINE IN / TAKEOUT / DELIVERY Using fresh, quality ingredients The Oven continues a tradition of New York style pizza, alongside signature San Francisco sourdough pizza. Come enjoy a slice today. Great Dough Great Pizza is Thin crust & Sourdough pizzas Salads & Calzones • Pasta • Subs Draft beer on tap • Wine • Dessert FRESH. LOCAL. TASTY. Fisherman’s Wharf FRESHEST SEAFOOD with PANORAMIC VIEWS Open Daily at 11:30am • At the end of Fisherman’s Wharf #1 www.rockfishmonterey.com • 831.324.4375 LIVE MUSIC Wednesdays 5–7:30pm
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