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Titled “Wisdom of Our Elders,” this vibrant 225-foot-by-32-foot mural at 501 Main Street in downtown Watsonville represents a collaboration between Community Bridges, Elderday Adult Day Health Care, and local Chicano muralists, The Jams, aiming to underscore the profound significance of our older adults within our community. Through compelling imagery, we seek to illuminate their indispensable role in our daily lives, while also emphasizing our shared commitment to providing them with the care, support, and dignity they rightfully deserve.
The mural depicts portraits of a joyous senior man and proud senior woman. These large portraits celebrate the elders in our community, something very important to Elderday, and any vibrant community. Between the two portraits are several “memory bubbles” highlighting special moments between elders and the younger generations.
The man and woman, affectionately called “El Don y La Doña” by The Jams, are a combination of several grandparents from the community and past Elderday participants.
Last year, Community Bridges embarked on an ambitious journey to create a mural that would capture the essence of aging, the depth of knowledge accumulated over a lifetime, the importance of history, and the strength of our community. Through a rigorous selection process, The Jams were identified as the artists who could elevate this project and truly capture these themes. This collaboration was deeply rooted in community engagement. Input sessions with local residents, Elderday staff and participants, Community Bridges staff, and older adults from the Watsonville Senior Center ensured that the mural would reflect the diverse and vibrant voices of our community.
We invite you to stop by and view this celebratory mural. Please click on each of the four panels below to learn more about the stories depicted in the mural.
Main form of media: Spray paint and live painting murals
Secondary forms of media: illustrative design for publications, Arts education materials for Non-Profits, mosaics, zines, canvas paintings, and any other way they can express their creative ideas.
Favorite type of art medium: Spray paint has been a favorite because it helps quickly produce larger than life murals that will last a lifetime.The Jams have perfected the way they utilize spray paint to ensure the murals look great from far away as well as up close.
Awards and Recognition:
Artistic Accomplishments:
519 Main Street
Watsonville, California 95076
Phone: 831-688-8840
Fax: 831-688-8302
Email: info@cbridges.org
Community Bridges is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.
Federal Tax ID number: 94-2460211
El Don gently cradles a hummingbird, or colibrí, who are messengers of love, joy, and good fortune within several indigenous, Mexican and Latin American cultures.
Each of the memory bubbles depicts an activity that links to a lesson our elders have taught us. These memory and lessons bubbles include: food being a symbol of love, caretaking through gardening, learning about one’s culture through stories and cultural practices, the importance of education, fun is as important as work, new skills and hobbies keep us happy and busy and aging is a blessing.
The memories and lessons shown across the mural were chosen with input from Community Bridges staff and clients, Senior Center participants, and the larger Watsonville community. Each memory bubble also depicts different ethnicities that make up the community of Watsonville.
La Doña lovingly embraces California poppies, mug wort and lavender. Poppies symbolize the eternal life of the soul and were used as pain relief in indigenous cultures. While lavender represents love and protection and is used in smudge bundles during sweat lodge ceremonies. And mug wort was seen as a beacon of hope and used as medicine across the world.
