Shoreline Rotary invited the community to pick up a crayon, colored pencil, or marker to help bring our local environment to life at the Downtown Ridgecrest Art Walk.
At the Shoreline Rotary booth, Art Walk visitors of all ages were invited to participate in the Shoreline Nature Mural, a community art project celebrating the natural places and wildlife that make our area special.
Five large, black-and-white illustrated panels were waiting for the community to bring them to life. Each 24-by-36-inch panel celebrates a different part of our natural environment: Shoreline Beach, Shoreline Forest, Pollinator Garden, Salmon Stream, and Community Park.
Visitors of all ages choose colored pencils, markers, or crayons, find a part of the mural that catches their eye, and add their own color. Color a salmon, butterfly, flower, cedar tree, heron, stream—or something entirely different. No artistic experience was needed, and there was no “right” way to color it. Each person adds just a little piece, and together those individual contributions will transform five black-and-white drawings into a colorful community-created mural.
That’s part of the idea behind the project: many hands, each making a small contribution, can create something none of us could create alone. It’s also a fitting reflection of how Rotary approaches community service.
The project also introduced visitors to an important part of Rotary service: protecting the environment, Rotary’s seventh Area of Focus. Healthy forests, clean waterways, pollinator habitat, thriving wildlife, and welcoming parks are all part of creating healthy and resilient communities.
The Nature Mural was particularly well suited to the Downtown Ridgecrest Art Walk, where local arts, businesses, neighborhood organizations, and community members come together. The Art Walk is supported by a partnership that includes ShoreLake Arts, Ridgecrest Books, Drumlin, Ridgecrest Public House, and the Ridgecrest Neighborhood Association.
For Shoreline Rotary, the activity was also an invitation to conversation. While someone is adding color to a butterfly, salmon, or cedar tree, Rotarians will be there to talk about local service, environmental stewardship, and ways neighbors can work together to make a difference.
We extended a thanks to all who visited the Shoreline Rotary booth and choose their favorite part of the mural, and painted a piece of Shoreline with us. Visit shorelinerotary.com to see a gallery of pictures from the event.
Together, we protect our Shoreline.
