A lively group of community members came together on Saturday, October 3, 2015 to participate in the first ever North Fair Oaks Art Walk. Parents and children gathered in front of Garfield School to enjoy a light breakfast, arts and crafts, and were welcomed by Supervisor Warren Slocum before starting the walking tour. With guidance from local artist Kent Manske, attendees followed an art walk map to visit local art exhibits around Middlefield Road and Fifth Avenue.

The North Fair Oaks Public Art Workgroup meets monthly to plan public art projects and provide recommendations to the North Fair Oaks Community Council. In recent months, the public art workgroup worked closely with the North Fair Oaks Community Council, the San Mateo County Arts Commission, and community members to bring a number of art projects to life. Recent public art projects featured on the tour included utility box murals and North Fair Oaks entrance sign sculptures. The workgroup is planning future projects, including a new mural painting and fourth utility box mural at Waverly and Fifth Avenue.

“[I] really enjoyed taking the walk and going from project to project,” commented Beatriz Cerrillo, a North Fair Oaks Community Council member who attended the event. Another Council member, Everardo Rodriguez, mentioned he was “pleasantly surprised” to hear that local businesses were also involved in the public art efforts: “it’s not just the boxes and the sculptures, but it’s also other art displayed in the businesses. I think it’s a great idea.”

If you are interested in getting involved with public art projects in North Fair Oaks, you are encouraged to attend the monthly public art workgroup meetings held the second Monday of the each month, from 6:00 – 7:00pm at the Fair Oaks Health Center (2710 Middlefield Road, Redwood City). For more information, contact Victor Gaitan at vgaitan@smcgov.org at (650) 363-4668.