The City of Hayward Mural Art Program seeks to enrich the community by creatively showcasing the city’s most positive attributes and instilling a sense of pride in the hearts of Hayward residents.

Originally established as an anti-graffiti initiative in April 2009, the public program operates in support of the City Council’s “Crime and Public Safety” and “Cleanliness” priorities.

Though the program’s initial purpose was the fight against graffiti, the program quickly became an opportunity to beautify and revive the local community.

To counter the tagging attacks, the city of Hayward took a preventive approach to eliminating graffiti by utilizing the artistic work of Bay Area artists and displaying it throughout the city.

“Artists are given the chance to decide on the theme of their mural art,” said Neighborhood Partnership Manager Stacey Sorensen.  “I always like to give the artist an opportunity to share something with the community.”

Artistic expressions of Hayward’s historical significance, culture, and community cover the walls of several local businesses in downtown Hayward in efforts to rejuvenate the neighborhood.

Castro Valley artist Jean Bidwell was commissioned by the city of Hayward in 2009 and has since continued to showcase her artwork throughout downtown Hayward.

Bidwell feels the murals benefit the Hayward community and instills in residents a sense of pride for their city.

“[The murals] shout out what’s special about Hayward,” said Bidwell.  “It makes people proud to call Hayward their home.”

Bidwell’s latest project covers nearly 11,000 square feet of wall and stretches from D Street to Jackson Street.  The 68 panels of artwork feature several attributes that make Hayward special, some including the Hayward Community Gardens, Hayward’s annual Zucchini Festival and CSU East Bay.

Bidwell has noticed that members of the community are eager to assist in restoring some beauty to the streets of Hayward.

“A lot of my ideas come from community members,” said Bidwell.  “I’ve had the world’s greatest team of volunteers and it makes them feel like they own a chunk of it.”

Hayward resident Lysette Rosas said that prior to the start of the Mural Art Program she had noticed a continuous decline in the city’s appearance.

“The city was rundown and it was something that I couldn’t be proud of,” said Rosas.  “I’m beginning to see a transformation and it’s nice to see that there are people who really care about making Hayward a better place.”

Since the beginning of the Mural Art Program, Bidwell said she has noticed a decline in the amount of graffiti around the city.

“My art has only been tagged twice in 10 months, which is a significant improvement,” she said.  “Most taggers respect the murals as artwork.”

In the past the city has spent close to $1 million on the investigation and removal of graffiti crimes, reiterating the notion that graffiti had become a serious issue in Hayward.

“From the police inspection of the crime and maintenance services cleaning the graffiti off, that alone costs the city a lot of money,” said Sorensen.  “This is one program that helps in the effort to rid the city of graffiti.”

In 2011, the League of California Cities honored the City of Hayward Mural Art Program for its ability to create appealing murals that inspire the community.

Sorensen said numerous divisions in the City of Hayward assist to make the operations of  the Mural Art Program run smoothly and successfully.  Both the maintenance and social services department have put in their fair share of work.

Given that the program is on-going and year-around there is always a need for fresh, talented artists to design murals that applaud Hayward visually.

“People get apathetic easily, but when they see things slowly starting to change they get hope in their community,” said Bidwell.