Title
Review and Approve Mural in Honor of Javier Zayas at Cityview Skate Park (20 minutes).
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Recreation and Park Commission
From: Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director
Re: Review and Approve Mural in Honor of Javier Zayas at Cityview Skate Park (20 minutes).
BACKGROUND
The Alameda Skate Park is located at 1177 West Redline Road at Alameda Point. It was built through a community fundraising and volunteer effort in 1999. The facility is managed and maintained by the Alameda Park Maintenance Department, funded by the General Fund.
Patty Harding and Sam Norton approached staff with a request to paint a mural at the Cityview Skate Park in honor of Javier Zayas. Ms. Harding, an Alameda resident, has been raising funds and coordinating volunteer efforts to make improvements at the Alameda Cityview Skate Park in memory of her son, Clay Harding, including concrete work, painting, a new picnic shade structure and a mural. Sam Norton is the artist and an active skateboarder and is connected with the community of skaters.
DISCUSSION
Before his passing in 2017, Javier Zayas was a 23-year old aspiring artist and avid skateboarder at Cityview Skate Park. He was well liked, talented, kind, and a mentor to Clay Harding and other skateboarders. His artistic ability and love for skateboarding were one and the same and his unrelenting tenacity in both mediums was an inspiration to all of his peers.
The concept behind the proposed mural is to memorialize Javi’s unity in art and skateboarding. This mural takes one of his most recognized abstract works of art and transfers an abbreviated portion to the wall space provided. The goal of this mural tribute is to empower Javi’s artistic energy and passion by reproducing an exact replica of an abbreviated piece taken from the original artwork. Exhibit 1 shows the proposed mural and location, the original art work and the portion being used for the mural. The mural also includes a replica of his signature in the upper left hand corner. Lastly, a plaque commemorating Javier Zayas will be provided by his mother and placed in the bottom right hand corner of the mural.
The mural is proposed to be painted on the front corner at the entry of the skate park on West Redline Avenue. It will be 3 feet by 11 feet in size. The mural will be spray painted with Montana Colors, a spray paint products manufacture. It will be recreated using a projector to project the image and its proper size onto the space for tracing and spray painted in 7 to 8 colors. After the spray paint is applied, a graffiti resistant coating will be applied to the entire surface. This is the same methodology and paint type that was used in the existing mural for Clay Harding, which has stood up well since it was painted in 2015. The supplies will be donated and provided by Javi's mother with volunteers providing the labor.
The artwork chosen for the mural is endorsed by his mother, other family members and friends. This mural represents Javi’s creative sensitivity, energy and artistic passion through his willingness to free himself from representational painting and find his own style in abstract forms. This park space will be a place where his loved ones, friends and the community can honor his life and his artistic sensibility.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact for the Alameda Recreation and Parks Department. All supplies and labor for the mural are donated. The other mural has not required maintenance and has remained free of graffiti.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and Approve Mural in Honor of Javier Zayas at Cityview Skate Park
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director
Exhibits:
1. Mural