Murals spread art, hope across county

Jun. 17—Some projects start with grand plans, but in the case of the "Dreams" mural in Shafter, it started with a simple observation.

Five third- and fourth-graders — Sierra Albiar, Alondra Montalvo, Khloe Verdugo, Brinlee Swann and Seniya Schluter — were in the middle of a class at the Shafter Learning Center in October 2019 when inspiration struck.

"This was during a fall break class," said Katie Wiebe, who was their teacher. "We were sitting outside reading and noticed the wall, you can see it from the classroom."

The girls were intrigued by the possibility of the blank wall across Sunset Avenue, which was owned by La Hacienda Market.

Hoping to create something with the theme of "Dreams" — playing on the center's motto "Have Dreams" — the children started brainstorming.

"They took off with ideas," Wiebe said. "They were on Pinterest."

After getting the OK from the market's owner, Khaled Ali, Wiebe said they got in touch with David Gordon, then the executive director for the Arts Council of Kern, to figure out how to proceed for funding and to find an artist.

Wiebe said, "He helped us figure out how to actually do this and supported us every step of the way until we finished the product."

When efforts to gather community input for the design stalled last summer when COVID prevented any large community gatherings, organizers turned to Listen to Shafter, a community benefit grassroots organization, to help gather input. Wiebe is a member of the organization and said it was a good pairing to get their assistance.

A call to artists went out last September asking any would-be muralist to consider Shafter's "diversity, culture and sense of place with its drive for knowledge through the education of its youth."

Other suggested visual elements included wings, silhouettes, bright colors. orchards and skies. Proposed themes included hope, learning, academics, farming and agriculture, community pride, education and traditions.

Wiebe said they didn't know where they would find an artist and little did they realize they had a muralist in their own town.

Lorena Castillo had moved to Shafter from Watsonville three years before with her teenage son and daughter to be closer to her mother.

She eventually found work in the Richland School District but it was her background in art that led to this opportunity when her daughter mentioned to her history teacher that her mom had painted murals. He let them know that this project was in the works.

Castillo said, "To be very honest, at the beginning I was very nervous to put together a concept and present it to the city. ... I consulted with my daughter's history teacher, asked for background on the community here."

She assisted on her first mural at age 16 on her high school campus in Santa Cruz County. She then served as one of the artists responsible for the "The Maternal Tree" at UC Santa Cruz's Cowell College. Castillo also worked on 15 murals with the One Voice Arts & Leadership Program, which created murals in Monterey County.

Along with experience, it was her local ties that sealed the deal.

"She is from Shafter and that was important to them," Wiebe said of the girls selecting Castillo from five candidates.

Castillo's inclusion of a little library in her design proposal resonated with the children.

"They've become part of our culture, part of the family culture," Wiebe said of the 20-plus little free libraries throughout the city. "That was something that really stood out to them, that meant something to them."

Castillo said she didn't know many people in town before this project but that all changed once she got to work.

"Once I started the project on the wall, I met a lot of people. They would come by and see the progress of the mural, to paint or to just watch.

"The mayor came by," she said of Mayor Cathy Prout. "I hadn't been introduced to her but she came by twice and she shared other ideas she had for the community.

"Other people came from the city. It was a very beautiful experience for me."

And just as she assisted on a mural as a teen, she brought in the original five girls to help with the painting.

"Katie already had in mind having the girls come over and paint and help me. She said it would be nice for them to be there from the start to the end of the project.

"That's how I got into murals. I was only 16 when I started. My mentor would let anybody paint, especially the students. They could paint throughout the whole process.

Along with the creative quintet, other painting assistants included Castillo's and Wiebe's children as well as those of the pastor at Ebenezer Reformed Church, which was a partner in the project.

Some families came out with two generations of artists at work. Castillo said she loved seeing everyone help out.

Wiebe said the response has been great for the mural that was completed last month.

"This is about the girls, their ideas, their dreams for the community," she said. "In a small town, it means something when you have something you can be proud of.

"Everything about the project is Shafter from start to finish, other than David Gordon's expertise. That was more than we even thought possible."

Both she and Castillo hope there are more opportunities for public art in town.

"Art brings people together and I love that," Castillo said. "I hope we can have more of these projects in the future and more families come by. I would like the community to be involved."

"Dreams" is along the back wall of the market at 315 James St. in Shafter.

'A Breath of Fresh Air' for Taft

If you're on the lookout for other new art in the county, head to Taft, which recently received a new mural at its new Grocery Outlet.

"A Breath of Fresh Air," a trio of murals that run along the back wall of the grocery store, was created by bumblebeelovesyou.

That name should be familiar to local art lovers who have seen his work "Don't Mind Me" in downtown Bakersfield along the sidewall of The Kitchen on 20th Street.

The artist, whose real name is David Esfahanian, said he was approached by the Grocery Outlet company about creating something for the new business.

"Before submitting something to them I wanted to make sure I spent some time in the town to see what could inspire me," he wrote in a message. "I found out that in addition to oil, the town is full of life and small town charm.

"From there I gathered up all that I saw + drew inspiration from the grocery store to create a collaged story in the mural about having fun and living life."

The artist said he purchased the paint for the mural from the True Value hardware store in town where he met some residents, discussing the mural and the excitement about the new grocery store opening.

Locals also came by to visit while he was working on the piece.

He wrote, "A wonderful woman by the name of Peg came by one of the days I was painting and said the mural was like a 'breath of fresh air' and I immediately told her that would be the title of the mural."

The mural is up at the Grocery Outlet at 877 Supply Row in Taft, which opened earlier this month.

Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.