Words by Johanna Harlow
You’re walking along a Santa Cruz street, minding your own business, when you turn—and find yourself face-to-face with a kraken-sized octopus. No need to panic. This is not some escapee from a low-budget horror film. You’ve only stumbled upon a mural.
The whole city seems awash in seascapes. You’ll find seals and eels skimming along the exteriors of local shops. Kelp forests swaying beside parking lots. Mermaids congregating outside Domino’s Pizza. And a colossal squid jetting along the sound wall by Highway 1.
In 2021, Santa Cruz’s mural tally soared in the wake of Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans. Over the course of a single, landscape-changing week, artists rallied to produce 20 splashy new murals. The project paired Made Fresh Crew, a local collective of artists, with PangeaSeed Foundation, an internationally-acclaimed nonprofit. Not just a beautification project, each new mural dives into the topic of ocean conservation, calling out everything from plastic pollution to ocean warming. To tour a few of the region’s large-scale artworks—aquatic and otherwise—head out on this two-mile urban hike.
The Downtown Route
If you chose the wrong kind of footwear for today’s adventure, this first stop should help you out. Start this urban hike on the right foot outside Old School Shoes (1017 Pacific Avenue), where you’ll be greeted by a playful, pop-art mural titled Surfin’ Bird. Using cheery oranges and blues, Brian Barneclo weaves in references to the area’s iconic landmarks, including the Boardwalk’s SkyGlider, the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse and the area’s regal redwood trees.
Cross Pacific Avenue to circle the cluster of buildings on the other side of the street for three murals from the Sea Walls project. The first, on the side of Sesame Korean Grill (435 Front Street) displays a grim depiction of a whale burdened by an oil refinery on its back. “I hope to convey the serious weight and stress that our land usage has on other beings we share this planet with,” describes Abi Mustapha in her artist statement.
On the far side, find two more gems. A stunning scene of a leopard shark swimming through a field of poppies challenges the unwarranted stigma this species faces. Nearby, a monstrous (and shell-less) Little Mermaid goes to war for the ocean, her teeth bared, her hands gripped around a spear.
Double back to Front Street until you reach the Front Street Parking Garage (601 Front Street). There, you’ll find four more Sea Walls masterpieces embellishing this structure. The most condemning of these, The Last Salmon by JEKS ONE, shows a businessman dining on a raw hunk of coho salmon. As he coolly inspects the food on his fork, the man doesn’t seem to notice that he’s neck-deep in the rising sea. Although the subject might willfully disregard the crisis he’s causing by feasting on an overfished species, it’s impossible for viewers to ignore this multi-story cry for conservation.
At the next building, m. k. contemporary art (703 Front Street), you’ll find Owl You Need Is Love, a collaboration by the Made Fresh Crew. (Bonus points if you start humming the Beatles song.) If you’ve started overheating from the sun, duck inside the gallery for art and AC, then head next door to Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH).
Time to refuel? Flit over to Firefly Tavern Santa Cruz, located right around the corner on Walnut Avenue. This upscale tavern serves Asian- and Southern-influenced fare like furikake popcorn with Japanese umami oil, Korean fried rice with house brisket and biscuits with honey lavender butter. Meanwhile, kids can order the I Don’t Care (buttered noodles with cheese) and the I Don’t Know (a beef corn dog with fries).
Roxa Hammock Café, another nearby spot to rest your feet, describes itself as a “metaphysical tea house and elixir bar” with hammock chairs dangling from the ceiling everywhere you turn. Their alchemist-themed menu divides items into a periodic table, which ranges from acai bowls and gluten-free treats to drinks with names like Wolfsbane, Emperor’s Elixir and Piper’s Calling.
Once revitalized, head to Locust Street for a history lesson on the side of Santa Cruz Somatic Bodywork & Yoga (108 Locust Street). Installed in 2011 for the historic building’s 100th anniversary, the muralist used old reference photos of the same street taken in 1911 for inspiration. You’ll find the structure’s architect, William Weeks, peeking out of a second-story window as well as Santa Cruz’s first mayor, Fred Swanton, perusing a newspaper.
The next cluster of murals is farther out, so hike up Pacific Avenue, make a left at the Town Clock, then stroll along Water Street until you reach Craft Beauty Parlor (107 River Street). Artist Rachel Barnes, also known as Human Shaped Animal, describes her style as “abstractly organic landscapes” and geometric with shocks of color. Her latest piece melds levitating biodomes with a colorful kaleidoscope of crystals to capture California’s natural splendor. Nearby (124 River Street), an equally prismatic water dragon spews rainbow polka dots instead of flames.
Your final destination awaits outside Lenz Art (142 River Street). Though the muralist Jimbo Phillips is making a commentary on plastic pollution, he doesn’t take himself too seriously. “I tried to convey the message in a fun, colorful way, so people will enjoy the image and then absorb the message,” he says. “The giant squid is ridding the sea of plastic, and the surfer and seal are stoked and are supporting him because the ocean is important to everyone!” Feeling inspired to create some art of your own? Step inside the extensive art store to stock up on supplies.
Complete the loop by taking the Santa Cruz Riverwalk trail. Wind along the San Lorenzo River until the trail deposits you back at your starting point.
MORE MURALS Soquel Avenue Route - 4.5 Mile Loop + Bay in a Bottle by John Pugh (622 Soquel Avenue) + Oceans in Crisis by Shane Jessup (619 Soquel Avenue) + Plastic Pollution by Madeleine Tonzi (705 North Branciforte Avenue) + Let’s Solve the Dissolve by Caia Koopman (730 Soquel Avenue) + Midtown by Jeremiah Kille (1126 Soquel Avenue) + Rio Theater by Dag Weiser (1205 Soquel Avenue) + Skateboarding’s Fallen Soldiers by multiple artists (1240 Soquel Ave) + Guardian of the Deep by Zoe Boston (1913 Soquel Avenue) + Kind People by Taylor Reinhold (3600 Soquel Avenue) Mission Street Route - 2 Mile Loop + The Urchin Merchant by Lauren YS (2391 Mission Street) + Chain of Events by Griffin ONE (2339 Mission Street) + Fresh Walls Project: Clean Oceans Mural by Made Fresh Crew (1204 Mission Street)