Hats Off

Mural artists tout Clean CA experiences in Salinas

Note: Work is well underway on Clean California projects on underpasses of U.S. Highway 101 in Salinas. The two artists who designed the murals, MJ Lindo-Lawyer and Joshua Lawyer of Rough Edge Collective, recently contacted District 5 Senior Landscape Architect Corby Kilmer to express gratitude for the opportunity. They wrote:

"Now that we have had some time away from the Salinas Market and Hwy 101 walls, it has allowed us time to reflect back on the job without the aches and pains it took to physically complete the job. We cannot help but think back on, the hundreds of honks we received cheering us on from the cars passing by, the thumbs up and cheering words of encouragement pointed our direction from the passengers in cars. Handing out coffee and pastries and really getting to know the locals in the area who have fallen on bad times and realizing how much this artwork means to them.

"We will never forget the graciousness of the local businesses especially Los Altos restaurant and Carl’s Junior staff for allowing us to use their restrooms and parking lot, and for a quick lunch break during this job. It was also great to see the excitement they had for the mural we were creating. We quickly befriended the folks at the Salinas Kelly Moore which we found ourselves visiting daily. They were so helpful and being from the neighborhood, they were so excited to see the progress on our mural as well as La Neta’s going up just down the block from them.

"It is embarrassing to think about how many times we stood in line at El Charrito’s for their legendary burritos which can only be explained as magical tortillas. We felt extra special when one of the El Charrito employees that was helping us mentioned that she had seen us working on the mural and how excited she was to see it complete. It truly was heartwarming to be spotted out in Salinas by the locals with such warm feedback, from visiting the local laundromat, to picking up supplies at Home Depot, stopping at a local deli and getting great feedback from the community and the countless other encounters. It really put into perspective how much this community appreciated and was following the progress of the murals.

"The installation of this mural took 5 weeks to complete. During those 5 weeks, our home was the Hampton Inn off Work Street in Salinas, where their breakfast and coffee gave us fuel for the day. But more than that, the staff was amazing. By the end of the job, we knew everyone on a first name basis. Rosa, greeted us for breakfast every morning, Hannah would literally sit at our table and vent about her day longing to further her art career and asking us questions about how to do so. JJ and Hope were always excited to see the progress of the murals and always wished us luck as we walked out the doors to start our day. One of the most touching moments of this job was the day we were checking out, we were saying goodbye to the housekeepers who worked our floor, Dulce stopped us and with her eyes welling up, gave us her overwhelming gratitude and conveyed how proud she was that this mural was in Salinas. We could tell from the feedback of multiple housekeepers that the story of the child and the mother really resonated with them.

"We recently returned to the wall to take more photographs and shamelessly stopped by El Charrito to get our burrito fix where we ran into Primo who was the manager at West Coast Storage unit, where we stored our supplies during the job and filled up on water. He was invested during the whole process and was eager to introduce us to his wife and son as the muralists on Market street that he had been telling them about. It really made us feel like Salinas locals stopping by El Charrito, running into a friend, and talking about current life events.

"We hope that what you get from this letter is a fraction of what we have received from the community of Salinas. Even with overcast and ocean weather, it was truly one of the most welcoming and warmest places we have worked. Just this week, officer Michael Rivera of Salinas Police Department reached out stating that he patrols the area, and thanked us for an amazing job. It’s amazing how much of an impact the installation of this mural seems to have created.

"We can’t wait to look back 10 years from now and see how much it has done for the community.

"Thank you Corby for giving us this opportunity and milestone in our careers. We truly appreciate everything you have done. Big thanks to Caltrans for funding this project and believing in how transformative art is for a community."