There is a mural going up at Culver City High School that is still a work in progress, and you can see art in process (and help to support some working artists) while it’s drawn and painted into existence.
The quartet of Vincent Vicenio, Randall Santiago, ‘Super Mario’ Perez III and Martin Sernas are creating a wall of heroes, and their own heroic efforts are buying the brushes and the paint.
So far, the funds for the project have come from creative hustle; Santiago and Sernas sold Oaxacan food as a fundraiser to friends and family. Sernas and Vicenio put in a stint doing live painting at Buckwild Gallery off Venice Boulevard during the Venice Artwalk.
Further efforts included selling custom art to the tourist crowd at Venice Beach, and partnering with Venice Ball League, a non profit that builds courts for kids around the world. such as the Nipsey Hustle Memorial Court, and another ball court in Denver as well.
Perez gave a full run down on his long Culver City history, saying, “I studied at El Marino Elementary school, Culver Middle School and Culver City High school I graduated from the Adult School in 2009 and I received at the graduation ceremony a scholarship specifically for the purpose of pursuing my art education. And now here I am painting My second home of the past Culver City High School.”
Artist and project manager Santiago noted the help they had from “Dr. Valverde, and [Assistant Principal] Tarvyd, they have been so good to us” in getting the permission to use this wall as a canvas for their community minded creativity.
With figures as instantly recognizable as Bruce Lee and Malala Yousafzai and Nipsey Hustle, there might an outbreak of selfies once that mural is completed. Who better to pose with than your heroes? Poised over the parking lot by the Music and Film classrooms, all these heroes will be inspiring students in the future.
You can donate to the mural by going to
Judith Martin-Straw
left to right. Martin Sernas, Randall Santiago , Super Mario Perez III , Vincent Vicencio
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