Our canvas for this project lies at the heart of downtown Healdsburg. The history of this town is one that inspired us in the design and execution of the project. With its relationships to Sonoma County’s wine and tourism industry, and the community that calls it home, we wanted to touch on a side of Healdsburg that lies just below the surface.
Black Oak Coffee Roasters invited us into their alley to enliven the space and engage with its surroundings. With their endless support and collaboration, we were able to work with a team of five artists, and countless more volunteers to create a piece that will allow everyone to feel that they have ownership and investment in Healdsburg and the tools to create and spur change. The project also helped us launch our Junior Lead program, and bring in three young artists from Santa Rosa to gain professional experience and training in public art projects.
Our volunteers included a combination of locals from Healdsburg, folks from Santa Rosa, and the rest of Sonoma County- as well as tourists from around the country who stopped by to leave their mark on the piece. None of it would have been possible without these people and their determination, even if that meant working in 90-degree heat.
The piece is filled with layers of meaning that we invite everyone to search for themselves, but when designing we considered the relationship between man and machine, and how humanity fits into the context of capitalism and production. As you walk down the alley and into the street, you can experience this journey yourself.