Petaluma mural lauds Black Lives Matter movement

Kristi Quint had an important job. The Petaluma artist was responsible for the “B,” the first letter in the city’s recently installed Black Lives Matter street mural.

Drawing inspiration from her 6-year-old son, Jack, who is Black, she worked Sunday to paint the “B” with different shades of tan, brown and black vertical bars that radiated out from a face.

“The different skin tones are my inspiration,” Quint said. “I wanted to represent the mixed families in Petaluma and the important conversations we are having in our house, our schools, our community.”

Sixteen artists worked over two days to install the Black Lives Matter mural on Fairgrounds Drive, the street in front of the Petaluma Regional Library. The City Council approved spending $15,000 from the public art fund on the 250-foot mural.

Petaluma joined dozens of cities that have commissioned similar works in the months after the George Floyd killing that sparked a national dialogue on police brutality and racial equality.

Planning Manager Heather Hines said the city’s Public Art Committee received 50 applicants for the mural and chose 16, one for each letter in “Black Lives Matter.” She said the piece is intended to be temporary so it won’t be refurbished once it fades on the street. She said the mural represents government speech and is not intended as a public forum.

“The intent was about creating a community dialogue given the national conversation about racism,” she said.

The 16 artists selected are Adrian Arias, Amelia Bell, Rachel Brooks Richardson, Michelle Carnes, Deborah Garber, Michaela Goldstein, Diego Gonzalez-Fuentes, Leslie Ihrig, Mariela Jacamo, Marla Pedersen, Kristi Quint, Jennifer Shada, Dayna Stevens, Jennifer Vertz, Amaya Yoshikawa and Laura Young. Each artist could bring up to two helpers.

In order to adhere to social distancing required during the pandemic, only four letters were painted at a time over 12 hours on Sunday and Monday. The paint was donated by Peterson’s Paint.

Penngrove artist Jennifer Shada painted the first “T” with a rainbow above a quote from Maya Angelou: “Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.” Letters in the quote spelling “I love u” are highlighted.

“These are interesting times,” Shada said. “I’m trying to find my voice and my way through it all.”

Deborah Garber, a Petaluma graphic designer, worked on the “E” on Sunday morning. She and two helpers adorned the letter with a stylized representation of traditional African mud cloth.

“I think it’s important to make a statement to address inequality in our society,” Garber said. “Silence is acquiescence.”

Not everyone agreed with the Black Lives Matter message. Three men who did not give their names showed up Sunday morning with signs and apparel printed with President Donald Trump campaign slogans. They said public funds should not be spent on a political message.

As work continued on the mural on Monday, Petaluma Police were investigating the suspected vandalism of another art installation at Leghorns Park. A makeshift display of posters with Black Lives Matter-themed messages installed on the tennis court fences in June became a divisive issue after at least one suspected vandal tore them down.

The City Council sanctioned the artwork to stay up through Labor Day. The police department said it does not have any suspect leads in Monday’s incident. The incident is currently under investigation and any witnesses should contact the Petaluma Police Department at 778-4372.

Meanwhile, at the Black Lives Matter mural, Marla Pedersen painted the “K” with the message: “Love, Listen, Learn.”

The Petaluma artist said she wanted to inspire others to teach equality and justice.

“I wanted to use my artistic skill as a way to be a voice for the movement,” she said.

(Contact Matt Brown at matt.brown@arguscourier.com.)