Art company aims for ‘Welcome to Merced’ mural
The Mariposa Art Company is looking to raise $2,000 for a “Welcome to Merced” mural near the Amtrak station.
According to one of the owners of the Mariposa Art Company, Patty Pratt, the space for the mural has already been donated by the owner of what used to be Regal Pale, a brewing company, adjacent to Amtrak.
The money needed is for supplies, Pratt said.
During their research, Pratt and Ramon Valencia, the artists and the company’s co-owners, learned that last year, a little more than 1,188,000 people rode the San Joaquin route on Amtrak. A large number of people get off in Merced on their way to Yosemite, Pratt said.
A mural at the Amtrak station would be one of the first things visitors see on their arrival to the city, and make for a warm welcoming, Pratt said. Planned as of now, the mural would be a mash-up of “what makes Merced, Merced” – including monuments, the water tower, train tracks and crops, among other landmarks. The mural, Pratt said, is also a better alternative to the graffiti that has been up in the area for years.
The artists estimate the mural would be done by March 2016.
Pratt shared that since last year, the Mariposa Art Company has completed six murals in Merced.
To help with the current efforts, people can search for “Welcome to Merced” on Kickstarter.com.
This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 5:55 PM with the headline "Art company aims for ‘Welcome to Merced’ mural."