UC Merced students to paint mural in McNamara Park

A team of UC Merced students were given the go ahead this week to begin to paint a mural in McNamara Park on Saturday, and they want the community’s help.

The painting is planned between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday in the 1040 Canal St. park, and residents from any part of the city can participate. A bathroom towards the center of the park, near the artificial turf fields, has been picked for designs on three outside walls.

The mural will go up as a combined effort between city officials, members of the Yosemite Leadership Program and students in a university art class, which focuses on art’s role in social change.

The mural is set to cover close to 8 feet by 23 feet of each of the three sides of the new building. The students have a $600 budget and plan to use 8 gallons of paint and 35 gallons of spray paint.

Students canvassed the area, speaking with 55 families around the park before coming up with designs. “We wanted it to be representative of the community,” said Marilyn Hernandez, 22, a senior studying sociology who is from Los Angeles.

The university students said they spoke to a range of people of different ages and ethnic backgrounds, and they wanted to make sure to incorporate cultural themes from Merced’s diverse population.

The first wall will be marked with a little girl blowing bubbles. Each bubble will be filled with the images of important historical figures, and the bubbles will tie the walls together by traveling all the way around the structure.

The second wall is set to feature farmworkers, a nod to the many migrant populations who have come to Merced over the decades to work in the fields. The students said they made a point to plan to paint the workers’ faces in shadows to leave them racially ambiguous and more inclusive.

A soaring eagle is planned for the final wall. The bird will make an anti-violence statement by crushing handguns in its talons, students said.

Jacob Croasdale, a coordinator for the Yosemite Leadership Program, said the mural piggybacked off of a mural project that other students completed in Oakhurst.

The project falls with the program’s goals. “Our program is focused on training socially engaged leaders,” he said.

The roughly 70-year-old park has gotten attention in recent years for upgrades to its pool, fields and other parts. It’s known to be a gathering place for birthday parties, quinceaneras, family reunions and other gatherings. “There’s love for that park,” Croasdale said.

Richard Gomez, an art professor at UC Merced, said he and the others involved hope the effort can bridge the gap that some perceive between the university and south Merced.

The students put in hundreds of hours of work on planning the public piece of art. “From beginning to end, they put together the content,” Gomez said.

The team of students and UC Merced faculty noted that the city has been supportive of their plans, and they hope to continue the relationship.

They also gave a nod to the local Sherwin-Williams Paint Store for donating paint.

This story was originally published May 5, 2015 at 4:17 PM with the headline "UC Merced students to paint mural in McNamara Park."