November 2, 2006
KNIGHTS LANDING — On Saturday, Knights Landing residents will gather to celebrate a new 80-foot by 8-foot community mural. Painted on the Plug-N-Jug Market, located at 9425 Locust St. and Highway 113, the mural is nearly complete after five months of Central Valley heat, wind, smoke and cold.
The project began nearly two years ago, when another mural in town was vandalized.
"We wondered why it happened and we wanted to know how people felt about that mural, about the vandalism and the town," said teen Ricardo Hernandez.
To find out, youth and UC Davis graduate student Alyssa Nelson, who are members of the Knights Landing United 4-H Club, surveyed and interviewed community members.
They decided to use what they found out to create a new mural. But to do so, they needed money and an artist to help them turn their vision into reality.
Hernandez and fellow teen Daniel Froste worked with Nelson to apply for grants, eventually receiving $10,000 total from two foundations. They recruited artist Alicia Siu, a recent UCD graduate, to join them. Since April, the club has been designing and painting with the help of other youth and adult community members who have given donations to sustain the muralists, influence the design with stories about their lives and the town and tried their hands at painting, including Woodland High student Viridiana Cervantes.
The project was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Grants Advisory Board for Youth, a program of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation; and by a grant from the California Council for the Humanities as part of the Council's statewide California Stories Initiative. The Council is an independent non-profit organization and a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The new mural integrates images from the past and present with visions of the future, beginning in the time when Southern Wintun people lived in Yodoy, now known as Knights Landing.
Imagery of local people, plants, animals, landmarks such as the historic drawbridge and aspects of landscape such as the river and agricultural fields reflect what various community members said were important to the town.
Youth are depicted playing marbles, making music and art, learning, graduating and helping each other to "Rise Up!" This exclamation is written in the mural and illustrated by water-blue "River People" bursting through scenes of a conflicted past.
Five faces of diverse community members - younger and older, male and female, having a variety of skin colors - surround a baby growing inside an acorn. "People told us that family and community were important to them," said Nelson. "It's amazing to hear the stories people have to tell and the mural project made that possible. Perhaps the most beautiful part is the transformative power of community murals to bring people together for a common purpose by eliciting their personal stories."
The celebration is open to the public, starting at noon at Grafton Elementary School, 9544 Mill St.
A potluck will be served at 12:30. At 2 p.m. the event will move to the Plug-N-Jug Market for a dedication ceremony, then return to the school at 4 p.m.
The event includes local music by "Riggity Jig," with Knights Landing resident Jim Coats, and a performance by "Semilla" with muralist Alicia Siu. Local art, including photography related to the project, will be displayed.
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