Murals ‘for everyone’ joining Concord’s cityscape in June
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 12, 2022) — A characteristic of world-class cities is the presence of large-scale professional murals on buildings, and Concord is coming out blazing – with nine artists booked for June endeavors.
“It is now a well-accepted principle of urban design that public art contributes to a community’s identity, fosters community pride and a sense of belonging, and encourages exploration of the environment for residents and visitors,” said Sage Loring, co-founder of Local Edition Creative, which is doing the murals in conjunction with Visit Concord.
Local artist Arsenio Baca and nationally known Jesse Hernandez (aka Urban Aztec) are among the professional artists contributing their talents to this extensive public art project that will begin the weekend of June 11-12. Baca created the Concord-themed mural on the patio of the Visit Concord office in Salvio Square.
This year’s Creative Concord is estimated to cost $140,000. The Brenden Mann Foundation provided $10,000, and applications are pending for two additional grants.
June 26 goal
The mural installations will be on buildings along Concord Avenue, Willow Pass Road, Mt. Diablo Boulevard, Grant Street, Colfax Street, Concord Boulevard and Diamond Boulevard. The goal is for most of the artwork to be finished by June 26, with each mural taking about a week to complete. There is no specific theme for the artists.
“We curated in a manner so that we will have a wide variety of subjects and styles,” Loring said. “As Concord’s first large public art project with murals, we wanted to come out of the gate with something for everyone.”
The professional installations will be complemented by a project entitled “Three Thirty Three Arts” being done by emerging and amateur artists at Todos Santos Plaza on June 11-12. The 12 murals on 8-foot by 8-foot wooden structures will be donated to various charities and businesses around Concord.
Related story: Art imitates life in Concord mural (Pioneer, Oct. 2021)