San Pedro Square to have mural painted on walkway come Memorial Day

Downtown San Jose's San Pedro Square is expected to receive a fresh coat of paint thanks to the San Jose Downtown Association, Adobe and Local Color.  

Organizers are asking community members to contribute to the painting of a 12,000 square foot mural designed by San Jose native Jimmy Paints. According to the organizers, interest has been overwhelming and there are over 1,200 individuals signed up and 300 on the waitlist. 

"We are creating a paint by numbers situation to make it as easy as possible for people to paint the coloring book were creating," said Erin Salazar, founder of Local Color, a local arts nonprofit.

The effort will take place over a week starting on Memorial Day. Volunteers will each have a two-hour time slot to help complete the project.  

According to Local Color's website, it is the nonprofit's "largest community mural project to date." Once completed, it will serve as a pathway for visitors.  

For Paints, the mural, dubbed Threads Woven, is part of his larger efforts to give back to the community.  

"[The mural, based on a Serape,] builds and reconnects and ends up, looking as if it’s new," he said. "As a young kid I got involved with graffiti, but for me it was a gateway to fine art. When I took art classes at Evergreen College, it blew my mind." 

Earlier this year, San Jose City Council voted to permanently shut down a section of San Pedro Street downtown to cars. It became San Jose's third permanent pedestrian mall, following Paseo de San Antonio and Fountain Alley over 50 years ago, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

Throughout the pandemic, San Jose closed stretches of streets to offer safer outdoor dining options to patrons. Since then, the stretch between West Santa Clara and Saint John streets has been closed off to cars. 

Alex Stettinski, chief executive of the San Jose Downtown Association, said the mural is just what San Jose needs.  

“When people think of San Jose, nothing special comes up,” Stettinski said. “My vision is that this mural will be a symbol for downtown. It embodies everything we’re about vibrancy, diversity, colorfulness, and art.”