The two hardest years of COVID-19 lockdown put many things on hold, but never the creativity of the children who, through painting, expressed their hopes for a better post-pandemic world.
Children's teams Casa Circulo Cultural and other local organizations and schools, accompanied by their parents, displayed their colorful and expressive murals in an alley in downtown Redwood City, located behind the parking lot of the Sequoia Hotel.
“This year it was a little more difficult to get them to sign up because of the pandemic, but 13 teams did and submitted their sketches, which were reviewed by a committee. The judges decided to include all teams with three smaller murals at 816 Main Street,” said Redwood City Vice Mayor Diana Reddy during the Youth Mural Alley Project opening event.
“The leaders of each team then attended a second workshop where they learned how to transfer the sketch drawings to a 4 x 8 canvas, as well as tips on how to paint the mural. We provided them with all the materials and delivered the plywood to their location,” he continued.
To conclude her speech, the Deputy Mayor greeted and thanked the child artists for their work, their families for accompanying them, and the Redwood City Arts Commission for the grant that made this project possible.
In an interview with Peninsula 360 Press, Chris Beth, director of the Recreation and Community Services Department of Redwood City Parks, said that art is a good form of expression for children and adolescents.
“And on this particular project they’re working as a team,” he continued. “These are collaborative murals done by young people who came together through their schools or organizations and created something really beautiful in this alley that was really neglected.”
Susie Peyton, a member of the city's Art Commission, said the goal was to "create a place where there was only art made by young people." They reached out to more than 80 different schools and organizations and got 13 organizations and schools to participate with their murals.
Peyton also said she is convinced that no matter where they come from or what language they speak, if children and young people are given the opportunity to create art they will excel academically and in other areas of their lives.
Wendy Segovia, program coordinator at Casa Círculo Cultural, said that the children at this cultural center made two murals: "one was for the little ones, about the importance of reading books and not being so focused on technology, and the second was about inclusion, so that the older ones could express that they agree that we are all equal."
She also said that the process of creating the works of art took place during daily painting classes under the supervision of teachers Roberto Cruz and Ramón Franco, who guided the children and adolescents to finish their projects in the best way possible.
Juliana García, a student at Casa Círculo since she was very young and who participated in the mural for inclusion, said that this cultural center taught her a lot about her culture "and helped me a lot to express myself as the person I am today."
Naomi Segovia, also a student at Casa Círculo Cultural, said that “it taught me some things about here in the United States and other things about my country – Mexico – that I didn’t know, and it helped me talk to other people and overcome my fear of being in front of people.”
“I just spoke with a child who is very proud of what he did. These opportunities are often not available at school. These cultural events are very important for all of our youth, so they have a place where they can express themselves,” said former Redwood City Mayor Alicia Aguirre in an interview with P360P.
These works of art, in which children express their hope for an inclusive and equal world, where interest in culture overcomes addiction to social media, can be visited free of charge at 816 Main Street, in the alley of the Sequoia Hotel parking lot, in downtown Redwood City.
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