The Guardian Mural Project with Beautify Earth for the Santa Monica Red Cross

'Guardian'

A mural for the Santa Monica Red Cross

Francisco Letelier with Beautify Earth

http://igg.me/at/guardianmural/x/11582124

For more than three decades I have been making murals and public art that express the dreams and histories of communities and individuals.

Beautify Earth is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers love to neglected communities through the installation of public murals. They are working in communities across the United States, putting an end to blighted walls and fixtures by empowering artists, encouraging social responsibility, and instilling community pride in impoverished or neglected communities and streets.

I am working with Beautify Earth to create a mural for the Santa Monica Red Cross. We share the conviction that acts of imagination can lead to profound change. As part of the greater efforts of Beautify Earth, the mural will add to the momentum already started on Broadway Avenue, creating a cluster of murals situated near each other for a gallery effect.

The Santa Monica Red Cross is one of the oldest civic organizations in the city, founded in 1918 by the historic Santa Monica Bay Women's Club. A largely volunteer organization, the efforts of the Santa Monica Red Cross chapter have left a tremendous impact on the lives of thousands across generations. The chapter serves more than 90,000 people over 16 square miles. Nonetheless, many remain uninformed about the work they accomplish. Despite the organization's enduring commitment to its surrounding communities many overlook its heroic dimensions and take for granted the importance of its tasks. For every crisis, every fire, every earthquake within its district, the Red Cross shows up for those who are in need.

I am asking my extended community to help create a place of imagination and memory through a public art work. I invite you to join me in giving a sense of place and belonging to an organization that has responded to human need for close to a century.Through its staff and volunteers the Santa Monica Red Cross consistently acknowledges the power of cooperation and helps reveal the inherent strength of our communities.Together, lets create a public monument that celebrates that spirit for their upcoming centennial.