20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 31-AUGUST 6, 2025 www.montereycountynow.comwww.montereycountynow.com to express and also have the ability to be heard and listened to within this mural is the most beautiful part…seeing their faces light up, showing them the final draft of the mural, of how it’s going to look—they were super excited,” says Saihra Ruelas Zamudio, mural coordinator with Artists Ink, which was commissioned by the district for this three-mural project. Summer Prather-Smith, director of engagement for Santa Rita, says school officials decided to incorporate art on school walls for multiple reasons: It develops a sense of ownership among students, provides cultural representation, and shows students art can be a viable career path. “It’s been really important for us to have our students see there is a career in the arts,” she says. “So often they’re told, ‘This is a hobby.’” Santa Rita’s murals are full of symbolism and show moments depicting students’ lives and activities, like reading or painting. They also feature recognizable local places, like Pinnacles National Park and ag fields. Each mural is unique, focusing on different topics: school spirit, nature, cherished memories. Gavilan View students will see the completed murals for the first time on the first day of school on Aug. 5. ••• United Way Monterey County is a social services organization headquartered in downtown Salinas. One side of their building is Midtown Lane, a narrow pedestrian walkway between South Main and Monterey streets. “The alley had panels already designed on the wall,” says the organization’s marketing and communication manager Erin Detka. “We were looking to place ourselves in the community, so they know we are there.” It turned out to be a perfect match: United Way leaders decided they could announce themselves to the community with murals. In 2023, United Way kicked off what they call phase one of their big mural project. They partnered with Arts4MC and King City-born-andraised artist Amy Burkman to paint what is now known as the YOSAL mural. The work depicts the musicians of the nonprofit Youth Orchestra Salinas and their instruments. The United Way team loved the effect. That led to creation of an advisory council of the community members that includes Salinas City Center Improvement Association, Arts4MC, Artists Ink and others to help them with coming up with the ideas for more murals. After announcing a call for muralists, United Way received about 20 submissions and picked three. During phase two, three more murals were created. One of them is a Filipino culture-themed mural by Jess Soriano. There is a long history of Filipino culture in Salinas. In a vignette inspired by woven textiles, printmaking and storytelling, Soriano tried to capture the story of Filipino life. In the middle of the vignette we see a woman and a child planting a tree. Around them, several motifs appear, including sampaguita (jasmine) flower and a bumble bee. Jasmine, the national flower of the Philippines, represents love, devotion and fidelity. The second mural came from Jesus Nunez Navarro, who suggested the title “Strength from Within.” It depicts a tree held, along with its roots, in the palms of hands. Under the tree, children take care of a garden, watering the soil. Finally, the third mural was created by a group of up-and-coming muralists under the mentorship of Burkman. Their mural features a figure of a woman with a face covered by contrasting colors. Behind her, a radiant, sun-like formation spreads outward through the Salinas Valley’s rolling hills. Bold, warm colors like oranges and yellows evoke the region’s rich agricultural heritage, while cooler blues and greens represent the valley’s water resources and natural beauty. United Way is far from done; they want to fill each panel of Midtown Lane. Currently, they are fundraising, looking for individual donors or organizations who want to sponsor the murals, including stipends for the muralists, equipment and so on. Detka says murals bring people together. “The real power is when you are physically there, in front of the mural,” she says. “It’s really cool to stand next to someone and start a conversation. It’s a safe entry point to talk to people you otherwise wouldn’t talk to.” And they are there for everyone to see. “The average person rarely steps into a gallery or museum,” Cerney says. “So murals are the ideal way to showcase the creativity of local talent where you have a guaranteed audience.” Celia Jiménez contributed to this report. For a Highway 101 underpass project on Alisal Street, commissioned by Caltrans in 2023, local artists (then known as La Neta) built upon two existing murals by Arturo Bolaños and Jesús León that had been in place for over 20 years to make “Anáhuac.” United Way Monterey County has commissioned artists to paint murals in Midtown Lane, a pedestrian walkway in downtown Salinas. “Beyond a Memory” is one of the new murals completed over the summer at Gavilan View Middle School in Salinas. Marianna Jimenez (left) and Saihra Ruelas Zamudio of Artists Ink were part of the team behind the project. A. CASANOVA FROM ARTISTS INK DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
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