Mural honors 100 years of San Carlos

The mural will be painted in the center of the road from Harrington Park to Cherry Street, creating a visual timeline from 1925 to 2025, with iconic events, landmarks and traditions of the city chosen in collaboration with local historians Linda Garvey and Carol Bria.

Although this will be the first pavement mural done by the three artists, and despite the large size of the project that will take months to finish, the artists said they feel the hard part of the work is already done. Input on finalizing the design was gathered from the community over the course of many meetings, they said, but now they get to paint.

“I’m very relieved to start painting, because that’s what we love,” Shea said. “This part is the joyous part.”

Key features include the former Circle Star Theater, the Hiller Aviation Museum, the traditions kept alive during Hometown Days, native wildlife and multiple population signs signaling how much the city has grown since its 600-person population in 1925.

“A lot of people that have lived here for many years are very excited about it. They recognize these buildings and even some that have been demolished,” Shea said.

The three lead artists are from Art Bias, an artist collective based in San Carlos. The project began when Art Bias Executive Director Terra Fuller applied to the San Carlos Centennial Grant Program, toward which the city has allocated funds for various celebrations this year.

Though the artists are leading the way, they are not without support. Bryant’s sister is savvy with a paint brush and Shea’s husband is at the ready with sunscreen, but artist mentees and community volunteers will also leave their mark on the busy street.

The tail end of the timeline will include graphics painted by young artists that are a part of Art Bias’ mentee program with Sequoia High School, highlighting the future of the city. Students have been involved through the process, learning about the critical stage of public art creation, from grant applications, to permitting, to execution.

For Bryant, there’s beauty in the entire process of the mural’s life, from design drafts and laying primer to the unveiling of the final project, and ultimately its end.

As the artists decorate Laurel Street, the city is also finalizing various plans for upgrades to its downtown corridor, meaning the mural won’t last forever. The 700 block of Laurel Street will eventually be torn up, but the fleeting nature of the project is not unappealing to the artists.

“The tradition of street art is sometimes temporary,” Bryant said. ‘If art coming and going just allows for more art, and this allows for more opportunities, we’re OK with that.”

The commitment to making the piece as grand as possible remains.

“We’re all in,” they said.

“We hope this just is a kick-start to even more colorful murals for the city,” Smith said.