On Saturday, Oct. 19, the city of Santa Clarita will host a dedication and unveiling ceremony for the City’s newest public art piece, “Inertia.”

The mural, by artist Miguel A. Del Real, can be seen on the main entrance building at the Santa Clarita Skate Park. The ceremony will be held at 10:00 a.m. at the skate park, located at 20840 Centre Pointe Parkway.

All are encouraged to take part in the skate park’s 10th anniversary celebration following the dedication and unveiling of “Inertia.” Attendees can enjoy music, a skateboarding demonstration performed and emceed by the Val Surf skate team, vendors with giveaways—including Nike and Val Surf, music, the Roni Macaroni food truck and more!

“Public art is extremely important as it allows community members to connect by sharing a thought or a feeling without having to say a word. The City’s newest art piece, ‘Inertia,’ furthers our goal of providing moving and inspiring art available to each member of the Santa Clarita community,” said Mayor Marsha McLean.

In the Arts Commission’s 2018 Work Plan and Public Art Proposal that was presented to the City Council on September 26, 2017, the Santa Clarita Skate Park was identified as a location for a new public art project. An Artist Selection Committee was then formed to choose a project that would engage the skate park’s visitors. After receiving 64 submissions, the Committee selected Miguel A. Del Real’s design proposal.

Before beginning work on the mural, Del Real completed a community engagement project at the skate park in February 2019, where he held workshops, administered a survey and had on-site discussions to better understand Santa Clarita’s diverse and vibrant skate community.

“When approaching a project like this, my goals are to connect with the community throughout the process. For me, public art installation is meaningful because everyone has an opportunity to engage with the mural and artist at all stages. Once the art project is finished, the City will hopefully have a sense of ownership and excitement for how it adds creative energy to the skate park,” said Del Real.

The mural’s abstract design features a cool color palette of green, blue and violet, as selected by Santa Clarita community members and joins over 30 art pieces located around the City.

The Santa Clarita Skate Park, which is open each day of the year, offers amenities including 9-foot and 6-foot clover bowls, a U-shaped half pipe, a 10-foot square bowl and more. The skate park also hosts birthday parties and the Junior Skate program, where skaters 12 and under have the park to themselves on Saturday and Sunday mornings. For more information about the skate park, please visit scskatepark.com.

The City is proud to be adding another public art piece to its growing collection, and hopes everyone will join in to celebrate the dedication and unveiling of “Inertia.” To learn more about the Santa Clarita Skate Park Public Art Project, visit scskatepark.com.