POMONA - Almost four years after it was dedicated, the "Envisioning the Future" mural on the west side of the Union Block building in Pomona's Arts Colony is being freshened up.

A group of artists involved in designing and painting the mural have spent several days each week cleaning and preserving the work, which includes a huge image of the goddess Pomona.
To prevent damaging the mural, it was cleaned by hand.


"We washed this whole wall with a rag and sponge - twice," said Cheryl Bookout, a Pomona resident who was part of the Envisioning the Future project and who spearheaded the preservation effort.

Artists are adding details and images that will complete the mural, she said.

Although most people don't know it, the mural needed some detail work and a few larger elements initially left out because of time and budget limitations, said Chris Toovey, an artist and the president of the board of the dA Center for the Arts in the Arts Colony.
"For us, having it finished felt good," he said.

The lead artist on the mural project, Kevin Stewart-Magee, said the additional elements are meant in part to draw the attention of people to the work.

"It's a way to say, `Take another look,"' Stewart- Magee said. "We'd like people to see we put new effort and new passion" into the project.

The Envisioning the Future project kicked off in September 2003 and brought together dozens of artists who worked with a core group of facilitators trained by well-known artist Judy Chicago and photographer Donald Woodman.

The artists worked as groups and individually and produced art pieces in various media, one of which was the mural that incorporated the images of people who work and live in the area.

Bookout said she began pushing for the completion and preservation of the mural after finding an image of it on the Internet.

Efforts included seeking financial support from the Vehicle Parking District Commission, which initially provided funding for the project.

For the mural preservation project the commission allocated $9,260, said Tim D'Zmura, Pomona's public works director and city engineer.

Plans call for installing two plaques near the mural with assistance from the Downtown Property Owners Association, Bookout said. One will list the participating artists and another will explain to visitors the images and symbols.

Lief Frederick prepared the building's wall before the mural was painted and he has returned to help restore edges and fill cracks.

The work being carried out now will extend the life of the mural, he said. "It should be here at least 25 years."

Artists said the mural has withstood exposure to sun well and hasn't been marred by graffiti.

That's because many people were involved in its creation by either working on it, serving as a model for it or simply watching it take shape, Toovey said.

"At the end, everyone owns it, and it protects itself," he said.

monica.rodriguez@inlandnewspapers.com

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