Our Mission working with the team at Core Builders, the City of Santa Clara, and Agrihood was to develop and paint a series of four murals at the new sustainable community development. The project was led by our lead muralist Maxfield Bala who in collaboration with the Agrihood team desired to highlight the local area's iconography and its vibrant history in relation to the theme of the Agrihood development. Agrihood itself is a sustainable community whose property includes a stunning garden and park that provides its tenants with fresh fruits, herbs and vegetables. Many of these tenants being veterans and low income residents from the County of Santa Clara. 

 

The murals are composed of two end cap murals facing Winchester Blvd, with one premier wall and one large scale water tower spanning three stories in height. The end caps highlight Santa Clara's former namesake as "The Valley of the Heart's Delight" -named after the high concentration of orchards, trees, flowers and plants. The compositions feature the area's top produced crops among local butterflies and wildlife like the endangered San Joaquin kit fox. 

 

The Premier wall features a classic take on a postcard style mural. Greetings from Santa Clara California reads boldy across the wall with each letter featuring prominent pieces of iconography specific to Santa Clara. From the historic train station, the peace rose, Santa Clara Mission, or the local university. To the right a large leaf cutter bee pollinates a Golden Poppy Flower further paying tribute to the area's farming history. The lettering is flanked by two "Most Beautiful Jewel" flowers native to the area.

 

The Largest of the mural paintings at the Agrihood housing development is a three story corrugated metal water tower. The curved water tower required a series of unique design and painting techniques in order to properly develop and transfer the mural design. The mural paintings design features a series of local wildlife including a great blue heron and Monarch Butterflies among Apricot blossoms and other local flowers. The murals required two months to paint and were treated with a series of protective UV and graffiti resistant clear coats to protect and preserve the murals for years to come.