www.montereycountynow.com JULY 31-AUGUST 6, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 5 831 For kids to make it to class on time, there are many different ways: by car, bus, bike or foot. However they do it, making their way to school will be safer and more entertaining for students in Alisal, thanks to colorful paintings depicting underwater scenes, ag fields and more, all leading them to their campuses. The sidewalk murals are part of the Transportation Agency for Monterey County’s Safe Routes to School program, which incorporates working with local artists and students from CSU Monterey Bay and Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. TAMC’s Safe Routes to School seeks to add street improvements such as new sidewalks, enhanced crosswalks and reduce traffic congestion around schools while also adding art to motivate students to take alternative modes of transportation. The program got its start in South County in 2021, with students and other volunteers in Soledad, Gonzales and Greenfield painting sidewalks. “We had great success with that, and it brought a lot of community attention to Safe Routes to School programming, and walking in general, and we were encouraged by that,” says Ariana Green, who oversees TAMC’s program, which is funded by Measure X. This excitement generated in those South County communities motivated TAMC to move forward with similar projects in other cities, sharing the same goal but employing a different approach: permanent artwork. (Future sidewalk projects will be in King City and Marina.) Alisal in East Salinas was the next neighborhood selected for the program. The project involved students from K-12 schools, MIIS, Artists Ink, TAMC and the community. It included forming a committee that asked for proposals, focusing on local artists, and gave students the chance to vote on which piece of art they wanted. “We actually created community ballots and brought them to each of the four elementary schools,” Green says. The request for proposals was open to anyone in the community, from professional artists to amateurs and youth. “To us, it was really valuable that young students who submitted [a design] got a chance to see their artwork on the sidewalk,” says David Tapia, Artists Ink’s program and project manager. The murals are near libraries, parks and elementary schools including Fremont, Jesse G. Sanchez, Los Padres, Sherwood and MLK Junior Academy. Saihra Ruelas Zamudio, who now works at Artists Ink and whose art was selected for this project, says one of her colleagues encouraged her to participate. “It was such a wonderful process, a wonderful experience to not only paint but also give back to the community that I grew up in, and especially to the students and the next generations that are coming as well,” Ruelas Zamudio says. While art isn’t something many will relate to transportation, it is a factor that could motivate people to take a different direction during their commute. “Whenever I am walking someplace in a community and I see public art, it lifts my spirits, and it actually changes the route that I travel,” Green says. The project was several years in the making and the art installation was completed in June. It is more than just adding public art—it’s also about language inclusion. While incorporating beautiful art and motivating cyclists and walkers to include it in their commutes is part of the objective, the complementary goal is to make it an integral part of the students’ learning experience. “A teacher could go on a walking field trip with their class to visit the art and check off some of their learning needs,” Green says. MIIS students Kareem Tinto, Joey Hebl and their professor, Gabi Guillén, developed a tour map, designed a booklet with activities in both English and Spanish, and created an interactive space where people can share their thoughts about the murals. They also tested out the route and activities with the community. “It was powerful to walk alongside the artist, families, teachers, and see our printed curriculum being used in real time,” Guillén says. “We hope they continue to use and adapt it in the future.” Colorful Commute Sidewalk murals encourage students to walk or bike to school—and street upgrades make it safer to do so. By Celia Jiménez “Whenever I see public art, it lifts my spirits.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE CELIA JIMÉNEZ Salinas High School students with their instructor created this underwater scene on the sidewalk at La Paz Park in Salinas. The mural is meant to represent the role diversity plays in a thriving community. SAVE THE DATE Friday, September 12 • Monterey Marriott Annual Leadership Luncheon Thursday, October 16 • TBD Monterey Bay Business Expo UPCOMING EVENTS See the full schedule of events and register today at montereychamber.com REGISTER TODAY!
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==