Donate today to help reach our goal of $10k!
See Donation Levels Below
Recently a team of Montclair residents representing Piedmont Pines, Montclair Village, and Keep Oakland Beautiful came together to focus on beautifying the south entrance to the Village – Mountain Boulevard near the Highway 13 ramps. A three phase plan is being developed to improve the weed strewn medians and pathways, and paint the often tagged retaining wall. Your help is needed to bring this to a reality. Here’s a quick snapshot of the work under way and how you can help fund the start-up effort while we seek grants and larger donations for the full scope of the project.
Check out this video for a view of the project area.
PHASE 1: The Gateway Mural
Sister Butterflies: Gateway mural to be painted on the retaining wall on Mountain Blvd. (at Park Blvd. and Mountain @ Hwy 13 freeway on/off ramps) approximately 4000 square feet.
Phase 2 & 3: Pathways and Medians
De-weed and dress up, stay tuned…
Fund the Mural, DONATE Today!
Donation Levels
I’m an Oak – $500 and above and your name will be “carved” on the Great California Live Oak on the mural wall
Sister Butterfly – $200 and above, acknowledgement on the Mural Informational Plaque
Montclair Supporter – $25 and above, acknowledgement on the Mural Profile Web Page
Make your DONATION HERE
The Montclair Village Association is a 501(c)iii non-profit. Your donations to the Gateway Mural are fully tax deductible. Fed ID # 02-0551618
The Gateway Mural Concept
The California Oak Tree is already a strong symbol in Oakland, and remains a consistent source of pride for all of our residents. Last year, Amanda Lockwood participated in an Ocean research project at Joaquin Miller Elemantary School. Her part was to paint a mural on campus that reflected student learning about the local Beaconsfield Watershed and the native plants and animals that inhabit it.
Lockwood learned that the California Sister butterfly relies on the oak tree as its host plant, so she incorporated this butterfly into the mural. These beautiful butterflies can be seen in droves when hiking in the Oakland Hills during the spring and summer. The sister butterfly is quite striking, with large contrasting areas of dark brown and orange and a tiny bit of white sprinkled in, and it occurred to Lockwood that it would be really beautiful to paint a large swarm of them on a long wall, in a flowing composition. So the idea of the oak tree with a swarm of sister butterflies alongside it was already forming, and when Lockwood saw the wall on Mountain Blvd., it seemed the perfect space for this concept. The swarm of butterflies represents the brilliance of a connected community and the oak suggests roots and strength. The connection between the two reflects our dependence on one another as a vibrant,unified community.
Timeline:
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- Oct 2015 : Volunteers prep and paint the wall adobe color for the background of the mural design.
- November 2015-January 2016 (weather permitting): Lockwood will paint the oak tree portion of the mural on the largest sections of the wall. It will be silhouetted in olive green.
- June and July 2016: Paint the butterfly swarm and the MONTCLAIR block letters onto the wall.
- August 2016: Volunteers assist in sealing the wall
Concept Art – Sister Butterflies:
Thank YOU! to the many supporters of this beautification effort:
Montclair Residents and Visitors
The Boerner Family (The Boerner Family is an Oak!)
Steven Burrows (Steven is an Oak!)
The Gottschalk Family (The Gottschalk family is an Oak!)
Rick & Carolyn McFarland (Rick & Carolyn are an Oak!)
Helen Nicholas (Helen is an Oak!)
Jackson Taylor Quinn Schindler (The Schindler Family is an Oak!)
Eveline and Jay Stock (Eveline and Jay are an Oak!)
The Waggener Family (The Waggener Family is an Oak!)
Stanley Weisner (Stan is an Oak!)
Coplan-Holderman Family
Dorothea Cudaback
Susan DeVico & Ed Matney
Elaine K Geffen
Barbara & Alan Goldenberg
Bob and Kathy Gustafson
Gregory Linden
Deborah Miller
Margo Murray
Wendy and John Norheim
The Schotland Family
Jeffrey Snow
Peter Fiske
Richard Kauffman
The Levey Family
Barbara MacKinnon
Catherine McLane
Patricia Schwinn
Sharon Tudisco
Frances Anderson
Kenneth H Ball
Phyllis Cohen
Andrea Faber and Gordon Benner
Douglas Gorman
Norma Kaufman
Gabriela Loots
Deborah Matheson
Doug Mosher and Carla Din
The Murphy-Kersting Family
Millie Swafford
Joan Van Horn Healy
Susan Edelman
Linda Chapman
Francine Clare
Lauren Davis
Cathy Gansen
Jim Goodrich
Elaine Hofmann
Alan Horwitz
Corydon Hinton
Margaret Langston
Michael Lee
Deborah Matheson
Marci Ann Murphy
Linda Ritchie
Gordan and Kay Chew
The Semain Family
Scott Yundt
Montclair Village Association
Piedmont Pines Neighborhood Association
Keep Oakland Beautiful
Montlair Community Corps
Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley
District 4 Councilmember Annie Campbell Washington
City of Oakland
Oakland Unified School District
Skyline High School Interact Club
American Indian Public Key Club