Progress continues on public art projects

Art is blooming in central Bakersfield.

Artist Brandon Thompson recently completed a mural of a Bakersfield cactus at a building at 19th and Q streets where the new Central Cali Brewing is set to open.

Now The Hub of Bakersfield just announced its eight artists for its latest Cash for the Arts public art project. And the Arts Council of Kern has put out the call to artists for an upcoming mural project at Q Street and the Golden State Avenue overpass.

Earlier this week, The Hub shared the names of the artists who will be painting utility boxes in southeast Bakersfield.

With the theme of "Southeast Strong: Past, Present and Future," seven of the boxes are along California Avenue: the northeast corner with N Street, southeast corner with P Street, northwest corner with Union Avenue, southwest corner with Baker, southeast corner with King Street, southwest corner with Owens Boulevard, and northeast corner with Haley Street. The remaining three are on East Brundage Lane: the southeast corner with Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, southeast corner with Tyree Toliver Street and northwest corner with Liggett Street.

Selected project artists are Daniel Ocampo, Ikea Wilson, Ed Zamora, Juliana Gonzalez, Jesse Moreno, Stevey Guerrero, Deidre Hathor, Christian Munoz and Leonard Nevels.

This is the third project for the Cash for Arts initiative, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic to financially support struggling artists during the most difficult days of the stay-at-home order. The two previous iterations of the program benefited east Bakersfield, downtown Bakersfield and Old Town Kern.

Also this week, the Arts Council of Kern put out a call to artists for the upcoming mural project at Q Street and Route 204 overpass.

A partnership with Caltrans under a Clean California local grant, the community mural project "Intersections" includes three murals — at Garces Circle, Q Street and Route 204, and California Avenue and Highway 99 — as well as nine electrical boxes along Union Avenue.

With work expected to begin on the Garces/204 mural in the next three to six months, experienced muralists with a strong background in large-scale mural projects are being sought to take part.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their bios detailing their experience and background in mural art as well as three examples of previous large-scale mural projects and a letter of interest explaining why they want to be a part of the program.

Those interested should email the information to [email protected]. Interviews will be scheduled in the next few weeks.