When you imagine a healthy community, what do you see? School gardens? Streets that invite leisure? Safe, affordable housing? Parks? All of the above and more?
The San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture wants to know what healthy community images should decorate a popular trail for a mural project in North Fair Oaks.
The city is conducting a survey that will help influence a mural located along the Fifth Avenue pedestrian walkway that runs under the Caltrain tracks. The mural will have 16 separate panels.
“What happens when community members come together for a shared purpose? Voices are heard, beauty is created, and community pride abounds,” said Robin Rodricks, executive director of the county’s Office of Arts and Culture.
The survey can be completed online until September 30, 2022, in English here and in Spanish here.
If you prefer to opt for a paper survey, interested parties can find them at Casa Círculo Cultural: 3090 Middlefield Road, Redwood City; North Fair Oaks Library: 2510 Middlefield Road, Redwood City; and at the Fair Oaks Community Center: 2600 Middlefield Road, Redwood City.
The County encourages artists interested in applying for the opportunity to create the mural to learn about the project and the selection process. Details are posted on the NFO Culture Collective website.
The Healthy Community Mural Project is a collaboration of three local organizations: the San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture, the San Mateo County Arts Commission, and the North Fair Oaks Cultural Collective.
The community survey will help identify 16 Healthy Community themes for the project’s 16 wall panels.
Once the survey is complete, two virtual community meetings will be held to further engage the community, these will take place on November 17, 2022: discussion of survey results and mural themes; and January 26, 2023: artist presentations based on community input.
On July 26, 2022, the Board of Supervisors allocated $60,000 for the Healthy Community Mural project to “bring pride and beauty to the North Fair Oaks community.” The funds are provided by the half-cent sales tax from the voter-approved Measure K.
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