A mural painted by Sacramento-based street artist 2hermano (Gabriel Romo). Named “Mayahuel,” it is located in Downtown Sacramento. Photo courtesy of 2hermano

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Art nourishes the soul, and the same is true for public art as well. Anyone who has spent even a bit of time in Sacramento will have noticed the expansive portfolio of murals on display, both in the city and in the suburbs. As a result, Sacramento is one of the top mural hubs in the country.

When it comes to public art, not all of it can be painted with the same broad brush (no pun intended). While graffiti is the most popular term to describe any sort of public art, graffiti is different from other street art. While street art is the broad umbrella term to describe public art ranging from murals to poster pastings, graffiti is different in that it tends to be unauthorized. One of the most common types of graffiti is tagging, which is when someone writes their name or ‘(their name) was here’ in the traditional spray-painted block letters style.

“Graffiti started in Philadelphia and New York when artists wrote their names or nicknames on walls with pens,” said Ten Blair, co-founder of Graffiti For Good, a local grassroots nonprofit that supports street art in Sacramento.

This practice of tagging, which started in the 1970s in alternative subcultures—such as the skater and punk communities— has since become widespread throughout the country and the world. While tagging and other forms of graffiti have the stereotype of being affiliated with gang activity, and in certain cases that might be true, it started with artistically inclined kids who were bored after school.

“It was never gangs to start off with.” said Blair.

An art installation located in the Graffiti For Good gallery, created by artists Child of Helmuth and Jefferson Eisenberg. Photo by Khushi Salgia

Although graffiti can carry a negative connotation, street art on the other hand, is well-loved by artists and community members alike.

“A wall, when done well, just completely transforms the space,” said Gabriel Romo, a Sacramento-based muralist who goes by the name 2hermano. “A lot of times, people can't verbalize what it is, but there's symbols and things that are getting transmitted through the color and the pigment.”

While large cities with vibrant art scenes such as New York City and Los Angeles have some of the biggest street art scenes in the world, Sacramento is special because it has quite a comparable street art scene given its size and population. The city sets aside a budget for commissioning street art as well as designated legal painting areas for those who want to voluntarily paint a mural. Due to this specific infrastructure in place, a whole subculture and community is encouraged to flourish here.

Romo, who has also painted murals in San Diego, said that San Diegans tend to be more hesitant to allow street art as there isn’t as big of a subculture there.

“We are lucky that Sacramento does embrace it,” he said.

Another reason for Sacramento’s high number of murals is due to the annual Wide Open Walls (WOW) Festival (formerly called the Sacramento Mural Festival). This multi-day event, hosted by the nonprofit Wide Open Walls, brings in street artists from all over the world.

“It makes you feel proud to be from Sacramento,” said David Sobon, founder and executive director of WOW.

An example of a type of graffiti called tagging, which is usually not authorized and can be a form of vandalism. Photo by Khushi Salgia

During the festival these artists gather across the city to transform building walls and alleyways with vibrant public art. One of the most famous murals to come out of this event is the large painting of Johnny Cash on the side of Marriott’s Residence Inn at the intersection of 15th and L streets. Painted by Shepard Fairey in 2018, this mural was created in honor of the 60-year anniversary of Cash’s song “Folsom Prison Blues.”

This year, WOW celebrates its 10-year anniversary, and over the past decade, the festival alone has led to about 200 murals in Sacramento. In addition to the festival, WOW as a non-profit has created a total of 400 murals in the Sacramento area. Sobon developed an interest in art from a young age due to this mother being a collector. Later, his work as an auctioneer allowed him to learn who all the major funders were in the region. He was inspired by the murals that he would see daily and wanted to find a way for there to be more of them in Sacramento.

For owners of private buildings and businesses, Sobon approaches them directly and explains the benefits of having a mural on the side of their building.

“I have to convince them it’s a good idea,” he said. “But the tourist benefits are unbelievable.”

When a business has a mural on the side of its building, it brings a lot more people to the building. People take pictures with it and post the pictures on social media, generating free advertising.

“Everybody’s willing to pay for good art,” he said.

The benefits of street art are more than monetary. When an area has high-quality paintings that are aesthetically pleasing and culturally relevant, it makes people feel like their neighborhood is taken care of.

Graffiti For Good “came out of a need to take ownership of our neighborhood and make people feel safer,” Blair said. “We want to keep as many artists employed as possible while also making the city more beautiful.”