Last weekend I visited Silver Strand Beach and was ecstatic to see the new mural on the side of The Corner Store. While I have never been the inside of The Corner Store, I have always appreciated the aesthetic of the establishment. As one of the last storefronts seen before entering the Silver Strand Parking lot, I think my feelings of excitement of visiting the beach have gradually been associated with the building. The font style and color of “The Corner Store” is what makes the store iconic. The architecture reminds me of other buildings in Downtown Oxnard, such as the Asahi Market or similar to the restaurant Otani’s (both have a deep history). There are several murals throughout Oxnard that capture the essence of the city and I appreciate that artists saw the opportunity to add beach culture to the imaginary of Oxnard.
According to an article written in the Ventura County Star, it was a volunteer and community-based project (Doyle, 2018). The mural depicts several aspects of beach culture in Ventura County. Artists captured the ocean activities that one would expect to see on a typical day at the beach in Ventura County (surfing, paddling, sailing). During my visit, I saw several surfers and some boats sailing. One unique characteristic of Silver Strand Beach is that you can see the harbor and Hollywood Beach as you stroll along the sidewalk near the entrance of the beach. In class, we discussed longshore drift which is how sand (sediment) is transported on the beach. We also learned that harbor entrance jetties can interrupt littoral drift because it is a structure that interrupts the water current and transport of sediment as it travels south along the California border.
Another aspect of the mural I appreciated was the inclusion of the Channel Islands and homage to Chumash History in the form of one of their early boats, the tomol. The depiction of the islands is important historically and in our everyday culture, as it has even shaped our everyday conversations here in Ventura County. “How’s the weather?” is generally a conversation starter or small talk here, or commenting, “It’s so clear out you can see the islands” is also heard in our everyday dialogue as well. Overall, the contributing artists painted a mural that represents several aspects that represents accurately depicts the beach culture of Ventura County.
Doyle, A. (2018). ‘Perfect canvas’ for artist – Volunteers paint mural on Silver Strand store’s wall. Ventura County Star (CA), p. A4. Available from NewsBank: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.summit.csuci.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/16EF1E511E65EBE0.
I really enjoy urban art. I feel that you can tell a lot about the culture of a city by the urban art found throughout the city. I do not believe I have seen this mural before but after your blog post I intend to go see it as soon as I can. I have always envied the time and talent it takes to complete a large mural, especially like the one found at the corner store. I also found it really cool they added the Chumash to their mural, before I started going to Channel Islands I never new about the Chumash people. I feel that murals or any form of art is a great way tell the story of the past because it is a visual story teller that everyone is able to enjoy and appreciate.
I like your insight on urban art and I agree that it tells a lot about the culture of a city. When I look at art, especially murals, I always wonder what the artists’ inspiration was. I agree with your last statement; art is a visual story teller and even if the viewer does not understand the details, they can enjoy and appreciate the work (possibly discuss the work with others to get a better understanding). Hope you get to see this vibrant mural in person!