Sonoma artists bring pop-up installation to Boyes Boulevard

Eleven local artists will unveil 10 large panel murals celebrating “Springtime in the Springs!” on Saturday, May 2.

The panels will be installed along the fence near the intersection of Boyes Boulevard and Highway 12 and on display through the entire month of May.

The project is the brainchild of the Springs Creative group, which was launched in 2018 by Brad Maihack, Kendra Rimbach and Thena Trygstad.

“We had always shared a strong belief that a rich and active community arts culture can be a powerful catalyst in helping build and sustain more inclusive, engaged and vibrant communities,” said Maihack in an announcement of the event. “At the same time, we each knew of many creatives and artists who were living or working in the Springs and were looking to be part of a more organized artist network - one that would help them build stronger creative community connections while also helping uncover new creative opportunities to participate in.”

With that, the Springs Creatives group was born. It has now been meeting monthly for the past year and a half and adding new members almost every month. The group focuses on sharing creative best practices, identifying and collaborating on community public art projects that help enrich the artistic and creative culture of the Springs community, and finding new ways to help encourage and mentor young and emerging Springs artists and creatives, said Maihack.

“There has been a growing interest in making the Springs a culturally rich arts destination, a vision that has been supported by Supervisor Susan Gorin for years,” said Trygstad. “Identifying and bringing together the artists and creatives who live and work here is a first step in developing some of the resources needed to make that vision a reality.”

Rimbach adds, “As an artist myself, I’m proud to be part of a group committed to creating public art projects that celebrate the unique identities, cultures and voices of the Springs community while also promoting a deeper appreciation of the arts. It’s exciting to be part of a group that’s helping bring our community together in ways that will allow us to share our mutual love for the Sonoma Valley and this place many of us call home, the Springs.”

The Springs Creatives’ popup mural public art exhibit is the first project the group has collaborated on and it was made possible by community donations as well as a “Popup” art grant received from the county’s Creative Sonoma organization.

According to the group, the goal of the mural project is to celebrate the unique beauty of the Springs, its history, culture and community contributions, while building a stronger appreciation of, and interest in, the Springs as a place to visit and enjoy. “The project showcases the power of the Springs creative community, and its role in making the Springs and the Sonoma Valley region overall, an even more inclusive, engaged and vibrant place to live and work for all,” said Maihack.