The St Peter’s Square promenade has a stunning new look after more than 1,000 volunteers picked up a paint roller.
A new mural called “Woven Threads” has radically changed Plaza San Pedro. The mural, the brainchild of the Downtown San Jose Association and nonprofit arts organization Local Color, was funded through the Adobe Hometown Grant. The mural cost about $100,000, according to the association, and is part of an effort to engage residents and attract more foot traffic downtown.
Alex Stettinski, executive director of the Downtown San Jose Association, said community involvement was key during the early planning stages and his team was very focused on finding a way for locals to participate in the creation of the mural .
“I truly believe this mural will become a symbol of San José,” Stettinski told San José Spotlight.
Designed by artist Jimmy Fonesca, known professionally as Jimmy Paints, the mural is the result of four months of collaboration and organization.
The mural’s vivid colors—hot pinks, sunshine yellows, and sky blues—stretch across the plaza between Santa Clara and St. John streets. The mural adds a vibrant backdrop to the shopping and dining area that has become a downtown hot spot since the street closed for the first time during the pandemic.
Local Color and the Downtown San Jose Association decided to paint-by-numbers the 12,000-square-foot mural, allowing volunteers to each paint their own section, making it a project completed almost entirely by the community. A group of art students from San José State University captured the digital design in squares on the street.
The initial plan was to paint the mural in five days. On the first day, 1,250 volunteers registered. In fact, there were so many that on the third day the mural was finished.
“People were very eager to do it,” Stettinski said.
The downtown association sees the mural’s bold colors as just the first step in bringing more life and foot traffic to the downtown and St. Peter’s Square area, and it appears the plan is working.
There are several businesses operating in the alcoves of the Market Street parking lot that overlook the mural, an unconventional storefront that opened for commercial use after St. Peter’s Square was closed to traffic. Plant Slut, which opened in 2022, is one of those companies.
“I feel like there is definitely more interest in the area, I enjoy the collectivism that it now brings,” Rebecca Iofis, who works at Plant Slut, told San José Spotlight. “It’s really cool to see (clients’) faces when I tell them it’s permanent.”
Adobe provides ongoing financial support to a group of eight San Jose nonprofits through its $2 million Hometown Grant, as part of the technology company’s efforts to support the community, including nonprofits focused on arts and culture like Local Color.
“We remain dedicated to finding innovative ways to honor the city’s rich and creative legacy through projects like the San Pedro mural, the largest piece of public art in downtown San Jose,” Amy White, told San Jose. global director of corporate social responsibility at Adobe. Stand out. “This iconic new mural embodies the vibrant spirit of community and togetherness that defines San Jose, both in its design and creation.”
Michelle and Patrick McClain, owners of the nearby Boho Moon Art jewelry store, said the mural was a “good use of funds,” unlike previously discussed plans to close the street. The two also mentioned that although the mural hasn’t been finished for long, they are already seeing its effect.
“More people are curious and coming, taking pictures and videos for Instagram at the mural,” Michelle told San José Spotlight.
Contact Kassia Bonesteel at [email protected] or follow @kekb2004 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
