Creek Trail murals unveiled recently by Esco Alley Art.
As the massive artwork was bolted to the wall, a bicyclist stopped in awe along the Escondido Creek Trail with tears in his eyes.
His only comment was, “Wow!”
“The murals with the quails and the coyote take me back to the happy memories of my childhood,” he later said.
The goal of Esco Alley Art had been achieved.
Five years ago, as the pandemic was coming to an end, a group of art enthusiasts wanted to create powerful public art exhibits that reach out and touch the unsuspecting viewer in profound and meaningful ways.
COVID had cast a colorless shadow on the world. But one person took it upon herself to bring color back to Escondido.
When over 90 drab industrial grey concrete K-rail barriers were placed along Grand Avenue to secure a safe place for outdoor dining, artist Suzanne Nicolaisen saw an abundant supply of creative space.
Inviting delighted passersby to paint with her, Nicolaisen converted the K-rails into community canvases, that she called the “Coloring book of Hope.”
This grassroots undertaking earned the coveted California Cities Helen Putnam Award for Excellence for Escondido in recognition for outstanding innovative city programs that improve quality of life.
The seed was planted.
United by a single vison to make art accessible to everyone, Esco Alley Art was born, becoming a committee of the Downtown Business Association.
John Paul the Great Catholic University (JPGCU) was the first to offer their old brick wall in the alley south of Grand Avenue between Maple and Broadway.
Volunteering their talents, 33 local artists painted stunning murals on 4’ X 8’ treated plywood panels that were installed with the blood, sweat and tears of volunteers.
Esco Alley Art then spread eastward along the same alley between Broadway and Kalmia Street. Agreements with building owners secured more walls.
The Mural Mosaic’s Global Roots Project involving local, national and Canadian artists now on a wall near Maple Street Plaza and the “What is Love” mural by a German artist brought international artist participation.
New challenges brought new solutions.
Plywood was replaced with more durable aluminum panels.
With the JPGCU building renovation the original murals had to find new homes. Some were hung on the walls of the California Center for the Arts, Escondido and others are found at unexpected places throughout the city.
The 2025 Arts Culture and Creativity month project sponsored by the Public Art Commission became the next Esco Alley Art endeavor. The creative works of 12 student teams from Calvin Christian School expressing their ideas on canvas about the people, places and values that unite Escondido make up the Community Unity Mural. The challenge was how to get all these teams’ artworks onto one 20’ X 10’ aluminum composite panel.
SpeedPro, a large format printing company came up with the solution. From a 24 X 36-inch original painting they could create a full-size high-resolution mural.
The student paintings were assembled into a cohesive and unified artistic image that resulted in a vibrant mural hanging on the renovated JPGCU building brick wall where it all started.
The new process of reproducing large artworks on aluminum will hopefully open the door to artists to create murals who never thought they could.
Escondido’s Public Arts Commission (PAC) has supported Esco Alley Art due to their consistent, professional and reliable efforts to beautify Escondido with their murals.
This year, through generous PAC funding, six new murals were unveiled on April 18 along the Escondido Creek Trail. And for the first time this mural exhibit was created to a theme of the flora and fauna of Escondido.
The committee had worked long hours overcoming many challenges and reaching out to the artists and collaborative associates to get the murals onto the wall of the Neighborhood Healthcare building located at 460 N Elm St. in Escondido.
With the strong support from Neighborhood Healthcare, the City of Escondido, and SpeedPro the Esco Alley Art Escondido Creek Trail Outdoor Gallery is now a reality.
“So many people have come together to make this a success,” said Esco Alley Art Chairwoman Nicolaisen. “This is what it takes. It is the only way to improve our community, by coming together.”
With these six new murals, Esco Alley Art is moving eastward to include East Valley Parkway that Nicolaisen believes has been overlooked.
“My goal is to unify, to invite talent and give everyone an opportunity to make the citizens of Escondido thrive,” said Nicolaisen.
Reaching out to gang members she has asked them to participate in creating murals rather than defaming public art with graffiti. Surprisingly, she found them receptive to the idea.
Escondido Police Department’s Lt. Brandon Byler’s words underscored Nicolaisen’s. According to Byler, a law enforcement research paper found that public art reduces crime and increases community support.
Esco Alley Art continues to enhance the city’s art scene while expanding its reach, aiming to edify and unify the residents of Escondido.
For more information, visit:
www.escoalleyart.com
The Creek Trail Mural Location Map.