Murals are having their moment in urban centers across the United States, and Montclair Village is no exception.
Montclair district artist Minnie Bredouw paints a wildflower mural on the parklet outside the former Perle wine bar on Mountain Boulevard in the Oakland hills. (photo courtesy of Ophelia Ding)
Even the Oakland hills commercial district’s parking garage features wall art on every level. The latest Montclair Village painting is a wildflower fresco on the dining parklet outside Mountain Boulevard’s former Perle wine bar.
Minnie Bredouw is the mural artist and community organizer behind the Montclair Blooms initiative. A longtime visual artist and former creative director at Pinterest, Bredouw and her team of artists are identifying new spaces for native plant murals in Montclair.
“This project is very near and dear to my heart,” says Bredouw, who notes her “having spent summers teaching design in Copenhagen and realizing how magical some special touches could be here in our own back yard.”
Bredouw says she has lived in Montclair for about five years and enjoys what many refer to as the gateway to the Oakland hills and its vast open space.
“I have been studying the wildflowers of Northern California and thought Matisse-style graphics of our local flowers could bring forth a beautiful visual language for Montclair, nestled in nature,” she says.
Together with local artists Nivi Ramesh Brett, Ophelia Ding and Stephanie Lewis, they launched their new initiative this summer and are raising funds to bring what they call a fresh visual identity for Montclair. They see the native pollinating plant murals as an effort to integrate natural world around the district directly into Montclair Village.
Look for the next mural to spring up soon, possibly on the retaining wall near the tennis and pickleball courts. In the meantime, if you’d like to support this volunteer effort, visit montclairvillage.com/montclair-blooms online.
Happy Halloween: The Oakland hills’ steep streets make trick-or-treating a challenge; but Montclair Village is stepping in with its annual Halloween celebration this Sunday.
The Village Plaza will host activities and entertainment from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., including a DJ, face painting by Lily’s Art, family craft tables and a photo booth hosted by Najee Tobin of Rough Thesis Photography. Kids can pick up free treat bags from Flair Travel and Pelago and visit neighboring businesses and participating farmers’ market vendors to fill them with goodies. Visit montclairvillage.com/halloween for online details.
Also this Sunday, Rockridge is hosting its 34th annual Halloween parade from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. along College Avenue from Broadway to Alcatraz Avenue. Kids, parents and pets are invited to dress up and walk the mile-long route that will feature more than 40 businesses offering treats and activities.
There’ll also be a puppet show, librarian story time and free trick-or-treat bags outside the Rockridge Library. For more information online, see rockridgedistrict.com/halloween-parade.
Speaking of spirited celebrations, Piedmont Avenue has haunted houses and a costume parade as part of its 39th annual Halloween celebration this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There’ll also be live music, pumpkin patches and trick-or-treating for kids at participating businesses.
The kickoff starts at 11 a.m. at Pet Food Express, and Piedmont Avenue will be closed to traffic between Yosemite and Linda until 1 p.m. After 1 p.m., Mountain View Cemetery will hold its annual pumpkin festival until 3 p.m. For online details, visit piedmontavenue.org/happenings.
Ginny Prior can be reached at ginnyprior@hotmail.com and followed on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and at ginnyprior.com.