Crystal and Cameron Moberg believe they were selected as the 2023 curators of We.art, now the We.Mural festival, because of their approach. “This is about a community transformation,” Cameron says of the multi-day event that has turned tiny Sand City into a regional mural mecca. “We don’t necessarily pick all the coolest artists and the coolest people. We are bringing artists who are good people, kind, loving, in synergy with the community. All of it is important, the residents who live by the mural and people walking by. You want good interactions.”
The Mobergs are husband and wife, who operate from San Francisco where they are raising a family. Cameron has been making murals for 20 years and curating mural festivals for seven.
“I was really impressed,” he says of his first visit to Sand City, where the festival has happened thrice already, in 2020, 2021 and 2022. “It was exciting and challenging to see. There are some really amazing pieces and some really prolific artists are already there, so we have big shoes to fill.”
“We want our artist to feel taken care of,” Crystal says about the 12 mural artists who will take part either in mural painting starting Monday, Oct. 16 or in the “art battle” happening on the final day, Friday, Oct. 20. “We want them to be fed and having fun; that’s what we tell them even when they are choosing the design – make sure you have time. Because we also want to hang out with you in between murals.”
The art battle is a new element of the festival, a special celebratory finale that includes both muralists and traditional painters. Before the battle (4-8pm, outside Post No Bills), join the Mobergs on a 1pm bicycle tour. Visit each mural, watch artists add finishing touches and hear stories (the tour also meets outside Post No Bills). In the days leading up to it, you can see murals in progress.
There will be seven new murals coming to Sand City this year, all made by individual artists, including Monterey County’s Amy Burkman. Other muralists come from France, Argentina, New York, Los Angeles, Modesto and San Francisco.
“We stumbled upon Amy in an art registry,” Crystal says. “We not only loved her work, but also her story. She is a cancer survivor.”
WE.MURAL FESTIVAL IV runs Monday, Oct. 16-Friday, Oct. 20. Throughout Sand City. wecreateart.co.
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