New Outdoor Mural
The city boasts both aesthetic beauty and preserved history through this revitalization effort. In keeping with the intent of the original mural project, the Santa Barbara Foundation Lompoc Affiliate, in partnership with the Lompoc Mural Society, sponsored a new mural that has been painted on the Paulin’s Building located at the corner of North I and West Ocean Avenues.
On Saturday, September 15, master mural artist David Blodgett supervised the completion of a 20 x 50 foot mural painted by local, volunteer artists. Community members gathered throughout the day to watch the mural become a reality. No stranger to Lompoc murals, Mr. Blodgett was also the master artist on the 2005 History of Medicine in the Lompoc Valley mural and the 2010 Lompoc Pioneers: The Moore Family Legacy mural.
The mural is the result of the Santa Barbara Foundation’s Thanks for Caring Award, established to highlight and acknowledge a group of “unsung heroes” for their contributions to the Lompoc community. This year, the affiliate chose to honor the traditional service clubs for their lengthy history of broad-based community service. Award recipients included Rotary Club of Lompoc; Rotary Club of Vandenberg Village; Kiwanis Club of Lompoc; Lompoc Host Lions Club; and Vandenberg Village Lions Club. Most of these clubs hold weekly meetings with programs, hold fundraisers and socials, and work on a variety of projects in the community.
“This event recognized historic service organizations, while celebrating art in the Lompoc community,” said Kathy Simas, north county director of the Santa Barbara Foundation. “Through the mural, we hope to recognize what has been accomplished over time and encourage the community to look for opportunities for active community involvement in whatever club or avenue they might choose.”
“The mural is a celebration of what can be accomplished by caring residents working together,” said Ron Gallo, president & CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation. “The mural celebrates community projects and events, community beautification, and a spirit of camaraderie.”
The mural is now a permanent fixture in the community, a reminder of the continued good work of caring Lompoc residents.
About the Santa Barbara Foundation
The Santa Barbara Foundation is a community foundation established in 1928 to enrich the lives of the people of Santa Barbara County through philanthropy. As one of the largest private sources of funding for area nonprofits, agencies, and college bound students, the foundation builds and facilitates philanthropy through donor partnerships; invests in nonprofits to strengthen the nonprofit sector; and identifies and strategically addresses important community needs to solve problems. Guided by compassion for the most vulnerable and those most in need of help, excellence in what it supports and with whom it partners, and integrity with a focus on stewardship and transparency, the Santa Barbara Foundation is invested in a more vibrant, engaged, and meaningfully connected Santa Barbara County…for all.
The Santa Barbara Foundation Lompoc Affiliate is responsible for increasing the visibility and awareness of the foundation and promoting its programs and services throughout the county’s northern communities.