New 2-story mural in Atascadero inspired by Black birder: ‘Nature is for everyone’
A public art project in downtown Atascadero has unveiled the first of 10 murals planned for the city.
Grover Beach native Brandy Pippin recently completed a two-story-tall mural on the side of a wall at Bru Coffeehouse, 5760 El Camino Real in downtown Atascadero.
The murals will be installed as part of the Equality Mural Project, a project supported by Arts Obispo, the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council, that aims to beautify the city, raise awareness about issues of equality and express and promote social change.
Pippin, who now lives in the Bay Area, painted a colorful scene of three local bird species she spotted in Atascadero, along with a California red-legged frog and a Salinas River beaver.
Larger-than-life images of a hooded merganser, a snowy egret and a belted kingfisher are paired with the words “Nature is for Everyone,” the title of the piece.
“The mural also includes part of the topographical map of one of Pippin’s favorite local hikes, the Sycamore Crest hike,” according to an Equality Mural Project news release.
Pippin, the first artist to participate in Atascadero’s Equality Mural Project, is biracial and an avid birder.
The painting took her about 70 hours of work time to complete, the release said. Some community members chipped in as well.
In the release, Pippin said she was inspired by a controversial confrontation between a Black birdwatcher and a white woman walking her dog in New York City’s Central Park in May 2020.
The birder, Christian Cooper, reportedly asked the woman to leash her dog as required in that area of the park and began filming her on his cellphone when she allegedly refused. Amy Cooper, who is not related to Christian Cooper, then called the police and told officers the birdwatcher was threatening her and her pet.
Amy Cooper was charged with filing a false police report, but those charges were eventually dropped.
“I was specifically thinking of Chris Cooper when I sketched out the idea for this mural,” Pippin said. “The outdoors should be a source of relaxation and enjoyment for everyone.”
Funding for “Nature is for Everyone” was provided by Visit Atascadero and Tourist Business Improvement District, and Sherwin-Williams donated the paint.
The Equality Mural Project plans to install its next mural, by local artist Isaac Yorke, next to Sherwin-Williams Paint Store on the corner of Entrada Avenue and El Camino Real.
“We have funding and walls for three more (murals) we hope to complete before fall,” said Jenny Ashley, a project spokeswoman.
The group is seeking funding for five additional murals, which each cost about $5,000, depending on the scale.
The Equality Mural Project is also seeking suitable walls for the public artworks in the downtown Atascadero area. Interested building owners can contact Zoe Zappas at equalitymuralproject@gmail.com.
For more information about the project, go to www.equalitymuralproject.com.
%20Cropped.jpg)