Santa Monica Mural Activity & Tour

The walls of Santa Monica buildings are rich with street art murals. Take virtual, walking or drive-by tours and enjoy all or some of the 130 murals compiled by the Santa Monica Travel and Tourism Bureau. Our activity guide, suitable for kids and adults alike, lets you design your own artwork and discover the themes and stories that murals tell from the safety of your home.

Murals are any art painted on or applied to a wall or ceiling and made part of the architecture. This form of art has been around for centuries – from cave paintings to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. In Santa Monica, a number of organizations and individuals have been responsible for the local artwork, including Beautify Earth. The organization began decorating walls along Lincoln Boulevard six years ago and have since grown into an international movement.

 

Take notes or photographs of your favorite murals and ask questions. What people, animals or symbols appear in the mural? What are the subjects doing? Are some subjects larger than others? What colors are used? What story is the mural telling? Is the mural honoring someone or something? What do you think the artist is saying through the artwork?

For this activity you’ll need: paper, pencil, rulerand markers, colored pencils, paint or crayons.

Activity:

1. On a piece of paper, design your mural and color in your artwork.
2. Consider where you’d apply your mural in real life: a bookstore, City Hall, school building or toy shop?
3. Send us a photo of your artwork at [email protected] or share it on Instagram and tag us at @smconservancy.org for a chance to be featured!

To accompany this activity, check out Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed A  Neighborhood by Isabel Campoy (also in Spanish) at the Santa Monica Public Library. What good can a splash of color do in a community of gray? As Mira and her neighbors discover, art can inspire transformation even the smallest artists can accomplish great things!

 

Use the map below or the Complete Guide to  Street Art Murals in Santa Monica to see the murals concentrated in each of Santa Monica’s eight neighborhoods. If you’d like to talk with or interview a muralist, you can often find their names on the mural or contact at Beautify Earth at www.beautifyearth.com. Find out how the design and colors were decided, how long it took, how much paint was needed, how much it cost and who paid for it.

 

This activity was produced by Sherrill Kushner.