SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A $270,000 mural project is transforming two underpasses in Logan Heights into large-scale public art celebrating the neighborhood's cultural and musical heritage — and the artists painting it are getting paid for their work.
The project is a partnership between the Logan Heights Community Development Corporation, Caltrans, SANDAG and the City of San Diego, funded through Caltrans' Clean California Initiative. Artists are working on the murals every day.
"This is the area that needed beautifying and an area that constantly gets tagged and we wanna showcase our neighborhood by using art as a way to bring people together," said Monte Jones, president and CEO of the Logan Heights CDC.
Two murals are being created at two entry points into the neighborhood — one under Interstate 5 and one under state Route 15 — where Black and Latino roots created a unique community in San Diego.
The SR-15 mural turns freeway pillars into a tribute to the community's musical heritage, honoring artists like Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, and Etta James, who performed at local clubs in the 1960s, and Ramón "Chunky" Sánchez in the 1970s.
"We're bringing some color. To represent a lot of the music and culture from the community around here," Isabel Garcia, one of the artists working on the project, said.
The I-5 mural will expand on that history, exploring Logan Heights' past, present and future.
Artist Jose Guzman described his contribution to the SR-15 mural.
"I'm painting a lady playing in. Uh, the guitar," Guzman said.
Garcia said the scale of the project has been a new experience.
"I've never worked on anything this big, let alone like with a bunch of people, so it's super sick to see everybody's styles come together," Garcia said.
Organizers also hope the murals will deter tagging in the area.
"Generally there's a level of respect, um, when these artists put their work in, and, um, so we don't anticipate there being an issue," Jones said.
The murals are expected to be finished by the end of September, with a ribbon cutting planned for October.
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