New Art Murals Grace Downtown Fort Bragg
The Alleyway Art Project installed two new murals in downtown Fort Bragg during the final days of September, bringing the total murals from this group to eight. The Alleyway Project murals complement the existing murals installed throughout the city during a public art project that took place in 2017 and 2018.
The first of the two new murals “Be A Light” by Ryan Grossman delights the eye of drivers heading north on Highway 1. It is installed on the Redwood side of the True Value Hardware building with the permission of owners Kathy and Whitey Brown and honors the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse. The mural was dedicated on September 25, 2021, by its sponsor Margaret Reiter with a small audience of art enthusiasts and curious tourists. Reiter sponsored the mural in honor of her husband Ron Reiter, who passed away in 2015. The Reiter’s have a home in Fort Bragg. Ron Reiter was a dedicated consumer advocate both as an attorney for the State of California Attorney General’s office and as a friend of the court. He enjoyed the coastal bluffs of Mendocino County, had an appreciation for the Fresnel lens that graces the lighthouse at Point Cabrillo, and had a fondness for public art. “Ron, like the Fresnel lens, was a beam of light.” Margaret Reiter said.
Grossman, the mural artist worked on the mural over a course of four months. His goal was to capture the vastness of the headlands as if the viewer was inside the light. He honored Ron Reiter with a starry silhouette standing on the bluffs. The Browns, who have delighted drivers on Highway 1 for years with the photographic mural of the Noyo River Bridge in their south-facing windows were happy to host the mural. “Lia called and we said yes,” said Kathy
Brown. Lia V. Morsell has been the brainstorm and steward of the Alleyway Project, since its inception in 2018. She works with the artists, landowners, sponsors, and the City of Fort Bragg to smooth the way for new projects that honor the beauty of Mendocino and employ the talent that lives here.
The Light Keepers Association that runs the Point Cabrillo assisted with the logistics and gave Grossman access to the lens area as he was designing his piece.
They are also working to create prints and other items using the mural image. Grossman will receive a small royalty for the use of his painting’s image.
The second mural that is in the process of being installed on the north side of Maya Fusion is titled “Queen Bee”. This is the second installation by artist Marta Alonso-Canillar. Canillar also painted the mural “Mendocino — Land of Extravagant Vision” that is located next to the train tracks as they cross Highway
1 and also includes a queen bee. The mural is a larger version of her painting of the same name. She expanded and modified it to fit the location and to accommodate the size of a large-scale mural. It has five panels and is two stories tall. A small outdoor ceremony to dedicate “Queen Bee” is currently scheduled for Thursday, September 30, 2021.
For more information about the Alleyway Project go to www.fortbraggalleywayart.org.