Students Add Their Artistry at Construction Site

More than 100 students from Hermosa Beach elementary schools joined artist Malti Kennedy on Friday as she splashed color onto the plywood walls that hide a lower Pier Avenue construction site.

Kennedy was hired by the city to paint a mural as part of an effort to ease the disruption caused by a development project that began this month. The painting includes signage that points to nearby businesses, along with a colorful ocean scene and a school of fish.

The four-sided mural is as big as three football fields and extends from Hermosa Avenue to the Strand. Students from Hermosa View, Hermosa Valley and Our Lady of Guadelupe schools painted fish-shaped cutouts that will be added to a pink-and-blue wave that stretches across each wall.

“We really wanted the students to feel like they were part of this project,” said Kennedy, who has created large-scale decorative art for several commercial construction projects, including Universal CityWalk and the Third Street Promenade. “They had so much fun painting.”

When the face-lift is completed, sidewalks will be widened to accommodate outside dining, and stainless steel benches and bike racks will be added along with informational kiosks.

The lower Pier Avenue redevelopment project is scheduled to be completed May 2.