The Street Seen: Muir Woods Mural Irreparable
Lincoln Blvd @ Ocean Park
The mural’s artist Jane Golden said the painting is irreparable “I want to be really clear on this — the wall needs to be completely scraped and the surface needs to be made really strong because painting over what’s currently there would shortchange the entire process.” That seemed to be the general sentiment after three days of meetings led by Golden.
The Muir Woods mural was painted in 1978 on the walls of the former John Muir Elementary School at the prominent corner of Lincoln and Ocean Park Boulevard. The school relocated to the 6th Street campus over 20 years ago and the site eventually became Olympic High School. In 2019, the entire facility was renamed the Michelle and Barack Obama Center for Inquiry and Exploration.
The fate of the Muir Woods mural has been a point of contention for some time for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s (SMMUSD) Board of Education. According to SMMUSD the mural has eroded significantly over time. Also painting the southeast walls the same color as the rest of the school is a necessary step in rebranding the look and feel of the campus.
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