Artist works on Greeway mural.

Oakland-based artist collective Community Rejuvenation Project (CRP) has announced the completion of its latest art project: nine new murals between Harbor Way and Second St. in the Richmond Greenway.
The murals, painted over the past four weeks, include the identifying piece “This Way to the Greenway,” as well as several pieces which continue the themes of CRP’s ongoing “Healthy Lifestyles” campaign: “Food is Medicine,” “Agua es Vida,” “Uplift,” and a portrait of Major Taylor, the first African American bicycling champion.
The lead artists were Daud Abdullah, Mike 360, Desi W.O.M.E, Release, and Pancho Pescador, with help from youth artists from Gompers High School. CRP’s innovative techniques for these murals included embedding sections of mirrored glass within the murals, to improve reflectivity and provide a stylistic match to the unique series of art benches created by Abdullah for the project.
“We are extremely proud to have had the opportunity to work on this project,” said CRP founder Desi W.O.M.E.
“CRP has provided incredible assistance and inspiration for us in expressing the cultural identity of our city and community through our Greenway Mural Project,” said Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin. “This project is a reflection of a community-in-action, especially our youth, who are deeply committed to making the Greenway an expression of our values and mission to bring about a healthy and creative Richmond.”
The Greenway project is a collaborative effort between CRP, Urban Tilth, which contributed gardening and youth artists;, Pogo Park and Richmond Build, which provided labor, organizing and resources to the Harbor Way fence project; Gompers High School, which recruited youth artists; and the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission.
For the past year, CRP has been part of the Richmond Mural Protection Task Force, which was founded after the Gompers mural wa destroyed in 2011.
An exhibit spotlighting the Greenway project and featuring CRP artists will be held, noon to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept.  22, at the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave. in Richmond.

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