Watsonville Murals
On October 16, 2021, Shared Adventures was very pleased to present the unveiling and dedication of the Ramsay Park “Adventure is For Everyone” murals in Watsonville, CA. The murals were a gift from Shared Adventures to the community, with the intention of promoting positive and inspiring images of people with disabilities. The murals are life-size images of disabled individuals playing, competing and enjoying life.
An initiative in 2021 for Shared Adventures was “South County Outreach”. Our objective was to have more of a presence in South County, both in the community and in the disabled population. The murals were a way to share the message that there are many disabled people living among us and they are capable of doing impressive acheivements. We hope that these murals are a source of pride for individuals living with disabilities and the Watsonville community that will be seen for many years.
Many individuals and agencies helped bring this project to realization. Shared Adventures Board Chair Steve Miller wrote the original proposal to the Arts Council of Santa County, who responded very enthusiastically and committed funding for the project.. Art instructor Anastasia Torres-Gil helped develop the artistic imagery. Watsonville City Parks and Public Service Director Nick Calubaquib and the Watsonville Parks and Recreation Commission support the mural project. Santa Cruz business SignAge & ArtWorks created and printed the mural artwork, and Shared Adventures staff put on the dedication event, and Shared Adventures longtime board member Daryl Wise emceed the event, and Jerry Jasper recorded and photographed the dedication ceremony.
One other exciting part of this story is that City of Watsonville will be developing an “inclusive” or “all-abilities” playground at the Ramsay Park site adjacent to the murals-the grassy knoll at Ramsay Park between the soccer field and bike pump track-making this a site a recreational center for kids with disabilities as well as all the community. The murals will speak to the many visitors to Ramsay Park.
At the dedication ceremony, there were several speakers who spoke about the murals and disabled life. Watsonville’s mayor, Jimmy Dutra, awarded Shared Adventures and Foster Andersen with a city proclamation. Please see the mural dedication invitation below for the line-up of speakers and videos of moving statements by some of the participants at the dedication.
The three murals
Mayor Jimmy Dutra welcomed the crowd to the unveiling event
Claudio Morales – Adaptive Surf League World Champion talked about what disability means
Brenda Gutierrez – vice-chair of the SC Commission on Disabilities spoke on what the murals meant for her
Trooper Johnson–4 time member of the Paralympic basketball team and known as the most prolific three point shooter in NWBA history, gave an impromptu wind-up of the dedication event
Shared Adventures Executive Director Foster Andersen receiving a proclamation from Watsonville Mayor Jimmy Dutra
Shared Adventures board members and friends at the dedication
Sentinel article on installation of the mural
