A 20-year-old mural project honoring volunteerism in La Mesa has a fresh look, and the public is invited to hear from some of the artists at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday.
“These murals, created by talented local artists, beautifully capture the spirit and values of La Mesa, values that include a commitment to volunteerism,” Mayor Mark Arapostathis said about the Walkway of the Stars.
“La Mesa is a place where people come together to support one another, driven by a strong sense of pride and unity,” he continued. “It’s this community pride that makes La Mesa such a special place.”
The mayor, other city officials and some of the artists themselves will be at the ribbon-cutting scheduled for 4 p.m. at 8338 La Mesa Blvd.
Former La Mesa City Councilmember Ruth Sterling proposed the idea to honor city volunteers in 2003, and eight murals were painted at the pedestrian walkway in 2004 and 2005.
Those are being replaced with eight new murals that vary in size between 10 feet by 12.5 feet and 10 feet by 18 feet. Each depicts an aspect of community volunteerism, including gardening, coaching, sharing and picking up litter.
La Mesa resident Nolan Lee was among the 46 artists who applied for the project. His mural, “Jewel of the Hills,” has portraits representing three people who inspired him.
“I think that people are precious,” said Lee, the creative arts and executive pastor at Journey Community Church in La Mesa. “Humans are precious, and people who serve others, I feel they truly understand that, and they see past what’s on the surface. They give of themselves regardless of what they get back.”
Lee said the city did not want the murals to honor any individual, so the portraits are not exact depictions of people he knows but are meant to represent their spirit of kindness.
The man in the middle represents someone Lee described as a mentor, and he is shown with his arms outstretched and palms up.
“He’s not about himself,” Lee said. “He’s not about his glory or trying to bolster himself up, but is rather about lifting others up.”
The woman on the left was inspired by someone Lee knows who volunteers at a food bank, and the woman on the right is a young woman who represents youthful idealism and the joy of helping others.
The mural “Volunteer Coaching” by La Mesa resident Don Masse resembles colorful stained glass with images of clipboards, whistles, balls and bats.
A former coach himself, Masse chose the theme to honor all volunteer coaches, including his father. He used pink and blue to avoid gender bias and stars to represent how coaches have a positive impact on players and the community.
San Marcos resident Anna Pearson’s mural, “Grow Love,” depicts a woman watering a young potted fruit tree while a young girl looks at butterflies passing overhead.
“After the city selected the finalists, we all had ideas that the city had to approve,” Pearson said, noting that judges did not want duplicate images. “I called dibs on gardening.”
Three members of the La Mesa Arts and Culture Commission, two art professionals and one city of La Mesa employee reviewed applications.
Originally from Ukraine, Pearson said she moved to La Mesa after moving to the United States six years ago.
“It was a hard time for me,” she said about her decision to leave Ukraine. “The country was on the brink of war. It was already pretty obvious, and I went through a tough period of life myself, and I was just looking for something new, some changes in life, and I came to California just for a sabbatical year, just to think and reflect on my life, and then I stayed.”
A professional artist, Pearson’s work can be seen locally on restaurant murals and other public places, and her art often includes flowers and other nature scenes.
Other murals are “Basket of Abundance and Sharing” by Jonny Alexander, “Agents of Change: A Novel Approach” by Marc Hedges, “Litter Pick Up” by Kolten French, “Thanks for Your Help!” by Channin Fulton and “Helping Hands Make La Mesa Shine” by Shannen Mythen.
Besides the mural, the Walkway of the Stars includes bronze stars at the entrance to recognize volunteers who dedicated more than 10,000 hours of service to the city.
Honorees are Alice Larson for 13,000 hours of community service, Anthony Guggenheimer for more than 10,000 hours in the Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol program, Timothy Tarbuk for more than 12,500 hours in the Police Reserve program, and Clifford Raines and David Ende for 10,000 hours of community service.
