Sacramentans are gardening, biking, walking to work, restoring Victorian homes, and playing with pets and kids on the mural that graces the CADA Maintenance Office at 701 S Street. The figures in the mural are surrounded by trees and Golden poppies (the California state flower), and all of this is overlayed on a colorful grid map of downtown streets.
Local artists Sophia Lacin & Hennessy Chrisophel of Lacin Chrisophel Mural & Design completed the 3-panel mural in July last year. The main centerpiece is 40’x10′ and the right and left panels are both 19’x19′. The artists’ website has a great photo of all three panels together.
In this article in Sacramento Press, Lacin notes that the once blank wall now has personality; “it’s like a new person came to town.”
While Lacin and Chrisophel painted the mural, they met community members who came to watch the process unfold (1). On their blog, the artists describe the concept of the mural as:
a map of Sacramento that’s being brought to life with illustrations. The shadow of a hand on the leftmost section suggests the presence of the individual showing the influence one person can have, and the power of imagination. (2)
Capitol Area Development Authority (CADA) is an urban development and management company that functions as a self-supporting public agency seeking to build a fiscally, socially and environmentally sustainable neighborhood around Capital Park; which is loosely defined as bounded by L, S, 7th and 19th Streets (3). The organization’s tag line is:
CADA is committed to building a sustainable Capitol Park neighborhood that captivates city dwellers and inspires the people of California.
Lacin and Chrisophel have been active muralists since they opened their business in 2007. Last week’s ArtTake post on SacPedArt included the mural for Cuffs Urban Apparel which is also their work. The artists’ photo of the Cuffs mural is much better than the one on my post.
The website portfolio for Lacin Chrisophel Mural & Design includes over 15 different pieces around Sacramento, Davis, and Chico including:
- Pro bono indoor mural for Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary, 6001 Folsom Blvd
- Outdoor mural for Yellow Cab, Richards Blvd
- Image for Pops in the Park series
- Outdoor mural for East Sac Hardware, 4800 Folsom Blvd
The current work-in-progress for Lacin and Chrisophel is a 4-million gallon concrete water tank in Davis. The tank is about 135′ in diameter and 32′ high which equates to a square footage of 13,568 of blank canvas (click to see photo)! The artists post updated photos on their blog and plan to have live streaming video as well.
My favorite from their portfolio (both visually and because of the story behind it) is the mural they created pro bono for Volunteers of America Bannon Street Shelter; a shelter for families who are homeless. The mural is 35’x7′, covers the wall of the dining area, and faces the toddler’s play area (4).
Lacin and Chrisophel focused on inspiring the children when they designed the 4-panel mural. In this KCRA news video, the artists describe how each panel communicates a particular image for the children. The first panel is a garden scene about growth and health; the second is an education image; the third is a playground image about cooperation, friendship, and acceptance; and the fourth image is about individual inspiration and possibility.
In the video, the director of the shelter explains how the children at the shelter are often in a very uncertain and unstable time in their lives, and the images from the mural offer much needed help to “bring the children to the point of possibility in their lives” (5).
On their blog post for the CADA mural, the artists share a sentiment that is very connected to the heart of my motivation for exploring and blogging about public art in Sacramento:
“We believe in the transformative power of public art and hope that our piece will further develop the neighborhood’s identity.” (6)
Title: (unknown)
Artist: Sophia Lacin & Hennessy Chrisophel of Lacin Chrisophel Mural & Design
Date: 2010
Media: Paint
Location: 7th & S
View Pedestrian Art, Sacramento in a larger map
(1) http://sacramentopress.com/headline/32657/New_Community_Mural)
(2) http://lacinchristophel.blogspot.com/2010/07/final-cada-images.html
(3) http://www.cadanet.org/pdf/onlineVersion.pdf
(4) http://www.lcmuralanddesign.com/press/sacbusjournal.html
(5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LysSJ_Jy4sU
(6) http://sacramentopress.com/headline/32657/New_Community_Mural
