CBU and community volunteers pick up paintbrushes to add color to a park

Riverside, Calif. (Oct. 17, 2024) – With the help of the fine art program from California Baptist University, Arlington Park in Riverside is more colorful.

On Oct. 12, Kristi Lippire, professor of visual art, along with 10 art students and about 25 community volunteers painted a mural on the exterior walls of the park’s restroom. The mural reflects the community, including an orange tree; the annual Chili Cook-Off & Car/Cycle Show, held on an adjacent street; and the Youth Innovation Center, located at the park.

The project was led by the Arlington Community Action Group and Arlington Business Partnership for the City of Riverside, which contacted CBU for assistance. Keep Riverside Clean & Beautiful and the Arlington Business Partnership provided the paint and supplies. The mural was part of a larger beautification and clean-up project at the park.

“Who doesn’t like to do a mural?” Lippire said. “I asked my students if they would be interested, and they were very interested, and I thought, ‘OK then I'll pursue this.’ Our students like getting out of the classroom and under the sunshine and literally touching grass.”

After the original lead artist pulled out, the organizers asked Lippire to step in as the lead. While the city had a design, it needed some work to become a mural, including proportions adjusted, figures redrawn and words added. Janie Travaglia and Lauryn Hall, both art education sophomores, worked on the redesign. Two evenings before painting, they assisted Lippire with projecting the design onto the walls to draw the outline.

Travaglia and Hall had two days to complete the redesign.

“I learned the value of time management,” Travaglia said. “I also learned how to work with an audience, how to improve something and get feedback, how to make something aesthetic or how to make something visually appealing.”

It was her first time working on a mural. She enjoyed working alongside the community.

“When you're in the studio, it is not very collaborative,” Travaglia said. “With this, it's highly collaborative. There's a lot of input and feedback and you have a chance to improve on the go, and you're not stuck in your head.”

Hall has enjoyed learning to communicate and work with others on a creative project.

“Everyone's really excited about it, and we're just feeding off of each other's energy, and I think that's the best part of it,” Hall said. “You also learn what makes the community a community.”

Oz Puerta, executive director of the Arlington Business Partnership, said the community wanted to bring attention to the Youth Innovation Center at the park and other groups that help in the area.

“We wanted to try to acknowledge the culture, the history and the organizations that help out this community,” Puerta said.

After the original artist backed out, Puerta thought the project might be dropped. “CBU saved the day, so you guys are the heroes of the project,” Puerta said. “It’s always a great pleasure to have CBU,” which has partnered on other city projects.

Lippire said she is often asked by different groups and organizations to provide or help with art.

“This is so validating. Everybody here has been just so appreciative,” she said. “A mural is a great opportunity, and it gets students out of the classroom. They meet different people and feel committed and validated by the city. It's been a really good experience.”