New mural by local artist adorns Point Loma’s Portuguese Hall
A new public mural at Point Loma’s Portuguese Hall pays homage to the local Portuguese community’s legacy.
With an easily visible location on an exterior wall of the building at 2818 Avenida de Portugal, the work by local artist Jack Stricker was done in partnership with the Point Loma Association and the United Portuguese Society of Espirito Santo (Holy Spirit).
It is the first in a slew of upcoming public artworks that are part of the PLA’s Mural Project, which began six months ago as a way to increase collaborative community artwork, said PLA Chairwoman Sandy Hanshaw.
The mural depicts a blue and white azulejo tile, a style and hues popular in Portugal, Stricker said.
“Since it is located at Portuguese Hall and since there is such a big Portuguese community in Point Loma, we thought it would be fitting,” Stricker said.
Portuguese immigrants settled in Point Loma’s La Playa and Roseville neighborhoods as far back as 1885 and were a big part of a bustling tuna industry that lasted nearly a century, according to local historian Karen Scanlon.
Earlier this year, the PLA and UPSES partnered on a project to paint utility boxes near the Portuguese Hall with a design drawn by San Diego artist Kristel Boe depicting symbols of cultural significance to the Portuguese community. The boxes were painted by students from Warren-Walker School, which has a campus in Point Loma.
Utility boxes near the United Portuguese SES Hall in Point Loma have a new look, thanks to students from Warren-Walker School, who painted them with a design drawn up by San Diego artist Kristel Boe depicting symbols of cultural significance to the Portuguese community.
The new mural came to be after the PLA reached out to UPSES “to see if they may be interested in having one of their walls painted with a mural,” Hanshaw said. “Their board approved it and we started talking to designers.”
UPSES representatives did not respond to the Point Loma-OB Monthly’s request for comment.
Stricker and Hanshaw worked closely to create the project, drawing sketches and bouncing ideas off each other until they ultimately decided on the azulejo tile.
After working on the painting for about two weeks, Stricker and fellow artist Austin Gosswiller completed the wall earlier this month.
The Mural Project was a focus of the association’s annual dinner this year, raising money for the Portuguese Hall mural and more artworks to come. The Oct. 24 event generated nearly $150,000 in gross revenue.
For Stricker, the choice to help PLA and UPSES with the mural was easy. The Point Loma native and Point Loma High School graduate went on to attend San Diego State University, majoring in painting and printmaking. Art became a large part of his day-to-day life.
Stricker has been creating murals for 15 years. His work can be found across San Diego and Los Angeles counties on the sides of bars, restaurants and other private and public properties.
The PLA’s next mural is slated for Cabrillo Elementary School. “We are working with a group called ArtReach on this project,” Hanshaw said. “They will work with us and the school on a design and artist. We hope to get started ... in the spring.”