(From L-R) Rebecca Wallace - “Water is Life,” Shane Grammer – “Embracing Unity: Women at the Heart of Humanity,” Venazir Martinez - “Poso: Our Wellbeing,” Madelyne Templeton – “Be the Change,” and Ray Vidal – “The Ingredients That Bind Us Together.” Photo courtesy of Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) – The Yuba City Mural Marathon, Art and Health Festival will be the biggest public art event of the year! Five outstanding professional mural artists have been chosen to create five 21’x 21’ murals on the Church Street side of the Sutter Theater Center for the Arts over the course of just 48 hours. It will be like a sprint to the finish line for the artists and the public is invited to this free event to watch the magic happen as these stunning images unfold.

The beautification project is being made possible thanks to a major grant received by the Yuba-Sutter Rotary Night Club from the Upstate California Creative Corps (UCCC). The project is a collaboration with the Yuba Sutter Rotary Night Club, the Blue Zones Project, the Partnership for Health, Equity and Inclusion, and Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture along with other health care providers, artists, musicians, and environmentalists.  The Mural Marathon is part of a larger statewide grant program to illuminate key themes including public health awareness, awareness of environment-related issues, civic engagement, social justice, and community engagement. The murals and adjacent festival address all these objectives.           

The start time for the Mural Marathon is 4 p.m. on Friday, April 19, and “brushes (or spray cans) down” will be at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 21.  Winners will be announced between 5 and 5:30 p.m. on the 21st. This is a juried competition, and the public is invited to be part of the People’s Choice selection process so be sure to fill out a ballot available at the information booth. The artists chosen to create their murals and the titles are Rebecca Wallace - “Water is Life,” Shane Grammer – “Embracing Unity: Women at the Heart of Humanity,” Venazir Martinez - “Poso: Our Wellbeing,” Madelyne Templeton – “Be the Change,” and Ray Vidal – “The Ingredients That Bind Us Together.”

In addition to the Mural Marathon, on Saturday, April 20, visitors will enjoy a myriad of additional experiences. Health information providers including both County health and human services departments will be on hand to share resources about available mental and physical health services available in the community. The Blue Zones Project, a community wellness program, will offer demonstrations of simple, affordable recipe ideas and doable exercise plans. Artists will offer their work for sale. Chalk will be provided for a pilot Chalk Art project on the surrounding sidewalks. A community mural project will take shape as everyone is invited to “Paint A Picket.”

Paints and fence boards will be provided for all to paint a portrait for an upcoming art installation. And the live music lineup is second to none starting at noon with the West Grand Brass Band, followed by Jim Achilles at 2:15. Then at 3:30, it’s the Fenix Drum and Dance Ensemble, Americana musician Jake Houshmond at 4:45, and it all wraps up with a performance by the Yuba Sutter Big Band Orchestra from 6-8 p.m. For more information, visit yubasutterarts.org.