- On Monday, members of the Shafter community gathered for the public unveiling of the Shafter Library and Learning Center's new mural. The mural is in the style of a postcard and features images of things closely associated with the city like grapes, potatoes, and the fountain inside the city's park on Central Avenue.
- The project was commissioned by the Friends of the Shafter Library group, funded by a Kern Arts Council grant, and completed by Shafter resident and muralist Lorena Castillo, as well as other members of the community
- Throughout the painting and design process, members of the community were encouraged to help paint the mural to give them a sense of ownership over the piece that they helped paint.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
If you’ve driven by the Shafter Library and Learning Center, you‘ve likely seen the new mural, but do you know the story behind it?
“I spoke to Katie [Wiebe] who came up with the idea of having it be a postcard mural. Like a lot of cities around here already have a postcard and right away I thought 'Okay, well each letter is going to have something that represents Shafter,'" said Lorena Castillo, a muralist and Shafter resident.
The purpose behind the mural is to draw people in and get a closer look at what Shafter is and was. Depictions of Shafter’s Central Park, it’s welcome sign, a farmer, and the various things grown there are all featured, but for the mural’s artist Lorena Castillo who lives and works in Shafter, she is just thankful that the community has been able to bond over her art.
“I’m just happy that the community came together since the first mural that I’ve painted. They enjoy it, especially the children, they come here with their parents and they feel very proud that they’re putting their art and their work into the community”
The Friends of the Shafter Library helped craft the idea for the mural and funding came from the Kern Arts Council but for Friends of the Shafter Library president Katie Wiebe, the best part about it is kids in the community getting to help and then come back to visit with a sense of accomplishment.
“Kids and families can come and put their mark on the mural. Lorena of course comes back and makes sure everything looks good and cleans it up. But she does the lines and then they paint and fill it in and the kids love to come back and visit the mural that they participated in painting and it makes it extra special and it makes it feel like home for them," said Wiebe.
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