‘Nature Nurture’ mural in Oakland’s Montclair Village making progress

Occasionally, serendipity is everything. Montclair Village had a blank, 75-foot cement wall on the back of the commercial district’s primary parking lot — exactly where a walking path leads from the district into the redwoods and hills of the Montclair Railroad Trail.

As it turned out, at the same time a multicultural all-women team of four East Bay artists with wide-ranging experiences in creating public art in collaboration with communities had a vision for a gateway-like mural featuring the local landscape’s flora and fauna.

Funds were available from a local merchant sponsorship and a donation from the estate of a past Montclair resident, and a GoFundMe campaign also began attracting support. Bringing it all together was one last ingredient: people with a passion in common for making the village a more beautiful destination and place to live and work.

Oakland-based Finnish-American artist and organizer Kristi Holohan says she has worked with Daniel Swafford, who directs the Montclair Village Association, for nearly 20 years. She says working with female artists, each with a strong affinity for nature as an essential component of humanity and women representing multiple cultures, struck her as a microcosm of Oakland when the idea first came to her.

“I quickly brainstormed and realized that I knew a community member who would be down with a female-produced mural,” Holohan said. “(And) Daniel is always interested in engaging the community and is a huge supporter of the arts.

“I approached him about the project, and we began the journey. We initially applied and got denied for a city of Oakland cultural funding grant, but he implored us to keep going, and eventually community funders were identified.”

The result is “Nature Nurture,” a project that brings in mural artists Stephanie Hooper, Keena Romano and Felicia Gabaldon. The mural will feature slightly stylized images of rainbow trout, mule deer, California quail, grey fox, red elderberry, succulents, California poppy, salvia, madrone and woodland fern.

“We haven’t fully solidified who is going to paint which parts yet,” says Holohan. “We put together a rough design and made a list of native plants and animals. We’re going to take the initial (sketch and color study), and each artist is going to add their stylistic spin. Together we’ll balance the forms, color palette and rhythm of the piece.”

In addition to artistic fulfillment springing from working with artists who share similar aesthetics and believe in the restorative aspects of art, the women say they find satisfaction in bringing broader visibility to under-represented cultures, their ethnic heritages and multiple age groups.

Holohan says she and Gabaldon work often with youth groups or students in Title I (a federal education program for low-income students) public schools where access to art is severely limited. Importantly, the mural project includes youth interns, some of whom Holohan has trained for three years, who will work on the mural and receive stipends.

“I’ve also been interviewing public high school students this year through an OUSD (Oakland Unified School District) internship program at MetWest High School, and new students will have an opportunity to participate,” she says.

Romano said she expects to paint a salmon, the traditional food of Northern California’s indigenous people, and honor Oakland, “The Land of Oaks,” with an acorn woodpecker. Recognizing the interdependence of “California’s feathered and finned relatives” and calling attention to species threatened by overfishing and habitat loss due to commercial or residential development, Romano says she traces a connection to her native Sicily.

“My people had a sacred connection to the waters and fish,” Romano says.

“Now, living here in California, I want to give tribute to these beautiful water creatures that have sustained my family and show connection to the original inhabitants of this land (Ohlone, Yurok, Pomo, Karuk and more) and to the more recent communities who came here, either by force, fleeing from war-torn countries or via wanderlust.”

Ultimately, Romano and Holohan express their goals for the mural to bring unity, awareness, accountability, cooperation and the spirit of sharing to the community.

Along the way, Romano says, “Teamwork makes the dream work. It’s necessary to have a group of artists in the design phase be as broad and inclusive as possible. As individuals we can be shortsighted and not always see the big picture.

“We add so much more to our perspective when we include the diversity of those around us. Murals bring the community together, along with (providing) beautification and social critique.”

Romano notes that primary among her artistic intentions is expressing gratitude for the natural world — its medicinal plants, nutritious foods and animals that model greater harmony in living within Earth’s rhythms and seasons than humans do. For Holohan’s part, she says she has been amazed by how the natural environment inspires creativity, imagination and curiosity across all generations.

“The day-by-day hustle can easily have us lose sight of our connection to a greater source,” Holohan says. “Through placing nature at the center, the viewer can consistently come back to where we all come from.”

For all of large-scale projects’ joys, they also present considerable bureaucratic challenges. Holohan says the risk of denial is great; the paperwork arduous and time-consuming; and the municipal and local support potentially minimal.

“In this project, we submitted a proposal to a city of Oakland Cultural Funding panel, and it was almost as if they hadn’t read our proposal, budget or bios and asked (for answers to) questions that had clearly been outlined in the proposal.

“It was incredibly disheartening. I’ve been lucky to find a few people who do believe in the project and vision. It takes a thick shell, collaboration, drive and perseverance. In Finland, where my family comes from, they call it sisu.”

Holohan says the mural that highlights Montclair’s natural areas and ecosystems is nestled in a beautiful area covered by trees, and the downtown reminds her of European villages.

“It’s a great joy to hike around the hills, enjoy the restaurants and farmers markets and wander through the park. Montclair is a bit isolated, and this project is an effort to connect the community through the environment. I think building this mural and cultural interactions through neighborhoods will help bridge gaps.”

The GoFundme campaign continues, with $1,750 of a $2,000 goal raised as of noon Tuesday. To make a tax-deductible donation, visit gofund.me/f893e648 online. For location and other Montclair Village information, visit montclairvillage.com/parking.

Lou Fancher is a freelance writer. Contact her at lou@johnsonandfancher.com.