Latino and Filipino artists seek to unite the Salinas community through their colorful murals.

Two colorful murals are now available for viewing outside the United Way Monterey County building on Midtown Lane in downtown Salinas. Natalia Corazza and Lee Abellana unveiled their finished murals on Friday, June 5 where about 20 people came to see the murals centered around the theme of  “a thriving and united community where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.”

These murals are funded by the Arts Council for Monterey County in partnership with United Way Monterey County and reflect Midtown Lane as a growing public art destination.

“Public art is really important and Salinas does a really great job at showing the hard work of the community. The history of the labor movement and the migrant workers, we see that a lot, which is great, but I also wanted to show what all that effort is for, which is the livelihood, the days off, the time with the family,” Corazza says. “I think immigrant families take really good care of their homes.”

Her mural called “Lo Que Vale/Un Dia De Descanso” honors the joy and comfort of the Salinas immigrant community, showing a mother tending to the garden, a father holding their son wrapped in a blanket and their other son playing the guitar. Corazza hopes to bring a sense of hopefulness with the birds and the morning sun rays, the butterflies and the roses. 

The 28-year-old Colombian-American artist took seven work days to complete the mural, which is her first mural completed all on her own with only spray paint.

“Salinas is doing a great job of getting public art out there and I think that our ability to resonate with each other in different mediums is really important,” Corrazza adds.

Filipino artist and Salinas resident, Abellana, took 10-15 hours, all spanned throughout different days, to finish his mural called “Salinas At Heart.”

His mural, also completely done in spray paint, represents the different cultures from Salinas and including the city as part of the Monterey Bay. Where there is a woman and a body of water behind her.

“Even though [Salinas] is overshadowed by Monterey or underrepresented, wherever we're at, we have Salinas in our hearts,” Abellana says.

He also showcases the fields while the sun rises in the background.

Abellana used vibrant colors for the mural. “The culture in Salinas is pretty colorful, so I’m trying to match that essence,” he adds.

The murals were unveiled before the start of First Fridays, which was also a colorful celebration to initiate Pride Month, as people throughout South Main Street were dressed in radiant attire.