Concord mural project builds community through art
CONCORD, CA (July 12, 2022) — Add Concord to the growing list of Bay Area communities benefitting from public art projects through Local Edition Creative (LEC).
In June, artists painted nine murals on the sides of business buildings around town, including Vinnie’s Bar & Grill, La Piñata and Parkside Grill downtown and behind Old Navy at The Veranda.
According to co-founders Tari and Sage Loring, LEC’s goal is to make “arts and culture accessible to everyone.”
Research has shown that public art has many benefits for a community, including combatting feelings of anxiety and social isolation.
“Art is beautiful, inspiring, thought-provoking and also a way for people to understand one another,” said Sage Loring.
Painting Jam
As part of the week-long Creative Concord program, locals gathered in Todos Santos Plaza to create their own works at an Artist Mural Painting Jam. The artists made 12 6-foot by 6-foot portable murals, which Concord area nonprofit groups will display at their facilities.
As a participant in the artist’s jam, I felt the “art vibes” as I interacted with other artists and answered questions from people who wandered by. Creating art in the park brought artists closer to the viewing public and provided a unique glimpse of art creation that most residents rarely see.
LEC has been bringing art to Bay Area communities since 2017. The Lorings’ enthusiasm was evident during Creative Concord, as they shared their mission to “boost the public arts scene in the city of Concord and make the city the center of an arts and culture movement in Contra Costa County.”
Dragon School
Along with running such large creative projects through LEC, the Lorings help operate a nonprofit to encourage more public art. Sage Loring established Dragon School in 2015 after he observed the lack of public art in Oakland’s Chinatown community.
Not only did Dragon School bring a lot of public art to Chinatown and the East Bay, it also inspired people to get involved and helped build up the local artist community.
In 2020, they rebranded the organization as Three Thirty Three Arts and expanded the group’s ability to bring art to the public and mentor artists in the business of art.
“We wanted to provide opportunities for anybody to contribute and collaborate through our community engagement experiences,” Sage Loring said.
For more information, see these websites and Instagram pages:
- Local Edition Creative: localeditioncreative.com, @localeditionmktg.
- Three Thirty Three Arts: 333arts.org, @333arts.
- Creative Concord murals: creativeconcordca.com, @creativeconcord.
Related story: Concord goes all out for art
Related story: Art imitates life in Concord mural (Pioneer, Oct. 2021)
John Nakanishi
John Nakanishi is treasurer of The Concord Art Association. He is an acrylic painter and a ceramic artist. When John isn’t creating art, he coaches soccer for East Bay Eclipse, a competitive soccer club based in Moraga. He is also an avid trail runner, enjoying runs from 5 miles to 50K.